Love Hurts
by XxxFIVEbyFIVExxX
Summary: All human story.NC17 from the start.Buffy has her perfect world ripped from her when her parents are murdered.This is her journey through pain, love, justice and betrayal.Having issues with the uploader as it cuts sentances short .Replacing Chapters now
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Buffy wiped the tears from her eyes as her social worker lead her from the house and then opened the door to the car . Buffy slid onto the rear seat without thought. Her mind was too full of images and the horror of watching her parents die in front of her . The press snapped photo after photo as she was driven away. They turned their attention back to the house as the bodies were bought out and placed in the hearse.

Buffy flinched as Tara, her social worker ,shut the car door. The bright sun made her sore and tired eyes hurt . Buffy pulled her hooded top further over her face and hung her head. Her hands fisted in her lap and she crawled inside herself, hiding from the outside world and all the pain that was associated with it. Her heart had died along with her parents ,leaving Buffy hollow .

Tara pulled away from the curb and gave a brief look back at Buffy . The poor kid had the worst thing happen to her. Background checks on Buffy had shown her to be intelligent, fun, vivacious and outgoing. Her grades were straight A's, she was head cheerleader, had a lot of friends and was the girlfriend of the captain of the football team. Her parents were rich and she had it all. Buffy had the perfect teenagers life.

Her Mum had owned a very exclusive and very famous art gallery and school. When Joyce was not working in the gallery, selling and buying works of art, she was teaching classes of adults to draw and paint. Art consumed Joyce so much that she even had her own studio in the attic of her home. Despite all that though, Joyce was a devoted and loving Mother, who spent quality time with Buffy at every oppotunity . If only her Father had been the same way.

Hank was Joyce's complete opposite. He worked hard as a high powered Lawyer and spent many nights at his office, working late. Or so he said. Joyce wasn't naive, she knew that Hank had secretaries that stayed for after hours ' dictation. ' After years of his affairs, Joyce had become hardened and ignored them for the sake of keeping up appearances and hiding the truth from Buffy.

Buffy thought her parents were happy. They spent weekends together , they vacationed , had the overly sickening Christmases , did everything a normal family did. She had no idea that her parents were so estranged and that her life was going to come crashing down around her.

Two months ago

Buffy was on the phone to Cordelia, her best friend and fellow cheerleader. They were talking about going to the local nightclub with their boyfriends. Hank barged his way into Buffy's room, he looked stressed and highly agitated about something. Buffy looked up and was about to protest until she saw the flush of his face and the sweat that had built up on his brow.

"I got to go Cordy, Dad looks like he's having a heart attack and needs the phone . See you tonight"

Buffy handed Hank the phone

"Can't see why you need mine, can't you use the one in the study or downstairs ? "

"Not that it is any concern of yours but Joyce is using the lounge phone and I need privacy ."

Buffy poked her tongue out at her Fathers back and flopped on her bed. She picked up her cuddly pig and looked forward to the evening out.

Hank made it to his bedroom and made the highly important call.

Two hours later , Buffy was dancing in the Bronze , surrounded by friends , her boyfriend was holding her as they swayed to the music.

Three weeks had passed since the night Hank had walked into Buffy's room and acted strangely. Tonight though, was worse.

Joyce had called to say that a shipment that she had expected had been delayed ,she would be working later than usual and wouldn't be able to make it for movie night. Hank had sworn at Joyce down the phone and had told her that he hated the stupid ritual and wasn't Buffy old enough to go alone . Joyce had screamed back and told him that it wasn't about age ,it was about sharing quality time as a family and making Buffy feel special and not like a child who's parents thought more of working than they did of her. Begrudgingly Hank caved in and agreed to take Buffy to see a film.

He slammed the phone back in it's cradle and yelled up the appeared at the top of the ornate staircase .

"Get your coat, your Mother insists we do this without her and so I've got stuck with taking you . Don't just stand there, hurry up ! "

The car journey was short and done in silence. Hank parked up and got out of the car. He did not look back as he crossed the car park. He heard the door slam and hit the central locking button on the key fob. Buffy ran to catch up and walked beside him. Once they reached the kiosk, Hank didn't bother asking which film she wanted to see , he picked an action movie and walked into the foyer.

He purchased popcorn and large drinks. He got himself some nachos and Buffy a hot dog and then went into the theater and sat waiting for the film to start . Not once did he talk or engage Buffy in any form of interaction.

As the film ended and Hank got up to leave , a man came over and started to talk to Hank in barely audible whispers. Buffy stood beside Hank and watched the two males head talk . Hank nodded and his head shook in reply to the mans questions. Finally the man moved close and grabbed Hank by the shirt collar and snarled at him . Buffy still couldn't hear what was being said but she knew it wasn't good. The man pulled Hank in close so that he could whisper into his ear and watch Buffy at the same time. Buffy drank her diet coke and tall man gave her a smile that made Buffy freeze to the bone. He then spoke loud enough to be heard .

"Cute kid Hank, bet she would work off your debt in no time. Perhaps you should think about that .You got a month, and that's me being generous on account of how much I like you . "

The man backed away from Hank and still held Buffy's gaze "Be seeing you real soon and I would not let me down again or else . "

The theater started to light up .Hank watched the man disappear into the crowd as they filed out through the doors. He glanced back at Buffy and gave her a weak smile.

"How about we go to the diner and grab some pie before we go home ? "

It was almost like having her old Dad back and Buffy nodded, smiling at him with a false hope . They walked to the car and Hank watched the people around him, like he was expecting someone to be there. Nervously, he got in and sped from the car park. He pulled up in the diner car park and cut the engine. Buffy sat awkwardly , waiting to see if her Father would tell her what the man at the theater had wanted and why he threatened them. It never came . It seemed Hank just needed the time to calm his nerves. He stepped out of the car and waited for Buffy.

Once they sat in the booth and their order had been taken, he looked across the table and smiled again. Feeling brave, Buffy decided to break the tension and ask.

"Dad? What was that man talking about and why did he threaten me ? "

Hank shot his eyes up to meet hers. He had tried to think of a plausible excuse for the situation earlier, none came . Buffy wasn't stupid and she knew him well. She would be able to tell if he tried to lie to her.

"I'm working on this high powered case .Pretty nasty one . All of the evidence is circumstantial ,but the guy has previous that matches the crime . He got bail a few days ago on a technicality and he was the guy you saw tonight . "

"Can't you go to the police ? If he's threatening you and me then he's breaking his bail conditions , not to mention the fact that he's tampering with you or whatever they call it"

Hank smiled briefly ,albeit a saddened one.

"I tried to report it before but he had witnesses to say he was at home with friends etc . It didn't hold and now he catches me in public places, places he has a right to be and that are dark or where people wouldn't take notice"

"Is he dangerous? Is he likely to follow through with his threat Dad? Should I be scared ? "

Hank looked at Buffy and saw the fear in her eyes. He took her hand in his as reassurance.

"No sweetheart, I wouldn't put you at risk and I wouldn't let anything happen to you"

Buffy smiled weakly and then went back to drinking her chocolate milkshake. Hank looked out of the window, his thoughts ran a million miles a hour . How could he assure her that she was safe, hell with Angel O'Connor on the loose, nobody was safe.

A/N :- Please review and tell me your views on this is a little different from my usual stories and will be very dark. Like it? Let me know ! Thank You x


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Present Day

The car pulled up outside a large building that looked like it had been a grand hotel at some point. Buffy looked up and squinted against the sun to see her new home.

Tara held Buffys arm gently and escorted her inside. They stood at the front desk and waited for a large woman to end the phone call she was currently taking. Once she replaced the hand set the large woman came and sat in front of a computer.

"Tara, so who's the newby ? "

"This is Buffy Summers, Buffy this is Elisabeth"

Buffy stared at the woman and nodded. Elisabeth smiled and typed something into the computer.

"Age ? " she asked

"Seventeen"

Elisabeth looked up and gave a saddened smile.

"So you will be here until you turn eighteen then sweety, when's your birthday ? "

Tara rubbed Buffy's back and answered.

"January the twenty fourth, nineteen ninety "

"Be here almost a year then, not as bad as it could be"

Great! Buffy thought. My parents are killed in front of me , by some madman , and they make out that being here for ten months is not that bad!

Elisabeth focused on Tara and apologized for her next resumed rubbing Buffy's back, which was beginning to annoy her.

"Reason for placement ? "

Tara swallowed and watched Buffy's reaction, nothing registered

"Death of both parents, no other family "

"Aww sweety, must be tough on you then huh? Never mind, I'm sure it won't take long for you to settle in and make friends"

Buffy couldn't believe what she had said. Never mind? Hello! Parents murdered in front of me twenty four hours ago! Buffy wanted to scream , wanted to run, wanted to kick and punch and tear and destroy the man that did this to her.

Tara continued to answer questions for her as Buffy shut down even more.

"Any funds or equity ? "

"Trust fund available once she turns twenty one, all moneys and the property that her parents owned, which she will inherit at eighteen"

"Too bad, she leaves at eighteen and we won 't be able to touch it , kid will be state support .She's going to have it tough"

Buffy caught Elisabeth's eyes and narrowed looked away, embarrassed .

"I'll see if I can get her lawyer to release some funds to Buffy every month ,enough for clothing, toiletries that kind of thing"

"Good idea Tara, might make her time here better. Right let's give you the tour young lady"

Elisabeth got up and came round to the front of her desk. She took a large bunch of keys from her pocket and opened the door that was at the far end of the foyer. She held the door open for Tara and Buffy and then locked it behind them . She barged her way through so that she could lead them . After walking down a small hallway they began to walk up a flight of stairs. Several girls walked down and cheerfully said 'hi' . At the top of the stairs , they walked through some more doors and out into an open hall. Girls in their teens stood on the edge in groups. All talking stopped and Buffy felt hundreds of eyes on her . Buffy hid under the hood of her top. Younger children played with older ones and their carers.A few boys were playing pool and table tennis . Buffy glanced up and her eyes met with the bluest she had ever seen. His friend nudged him to get his attention back on their game . Buffy was bought out of her dreamlike state by the tender touch of Tara's hand on her arm and Elisabeth's giggle.

"Seems your already getting attention kid"

Buffy ignored her and followed her through yet another door and up more stairs.

"This is where the dorms are, four girls to a room, we'll put you in with Faith , she's what we call a turnstile. She would go, stay with her new families a few days and then come back just as fast, hence the name. Longest she stayed was two months. Everything was fine, until the wife came home early one day and found her husband in bed with Faith. Two other girls in with her and I'm sure you'll get along with them just fine . "

Buffy just looked ahead to see which room they were going to put her in. Elisabeth carried on talking, explaining how things worked at there.

"Schooling happens on the third floor . We have tutors that come in four days of the week and then the older kids teach the younger kids for two days .Sundays are days of rest , you kids get to hang out here. Friday nights we turn the main hall into a club with a DJ for you older ones , Saturday we all go out to a local park . "

Tara smiled, at least they had some activities that allowed the children to relax and socialize, other homes that she had visited were run with the strictest of control. Tara looked at her watch and felt guilty. She had to go and she wouldn't get to see Buffy settle in properly.

"I'm so sorry about this Elisabeth but I have to leave for my next appointment ."

"S'ok, I'm sure me and Buffy will get on just fine , we'll get her settled in right"

Buffy looked up at Tara and shrugged .Elisabeth took Buffy's hand .

"I'll pop in next week and see how your doing. If you need me or have any problems, just call me, don't hesitate"

Tara handed Buffy her card and with a last hug, left the girl with her new carer . Buffy slipped the card into her pocket and walked into the room that Elisabeth had appointed her. Elisabeth entered the room and was glad that Faith had tidied up for once . She was also grateful that Faith was teaching two younger children at the moment and was in the classroom with them . Buffy sat on the remaining free bed and watched as Elisabeth put fresh linen on the end.

" We'll let you settle in and sort all your personal belongings out before I come and get you for dinner. I'll see you at four honey"

Buffy gave no reaction and just stared at the window . She could hear other children playing and missed that sound, laughter. It seemed like such a long time ago that she had laughed that she had forgotten what laughter sounded like. She stood and went to watch out of the window . Buffy sat on the sill and bought her legs up and stretched them out. She sat and watched the children of all ages play , the older kids looking after or playing with their charges.

Buffy was snapped out of her daze by the sound of the people entering the watched as two girls came running in, squealing and laughing as another girl, obviously Faith , followed them in, laughing .The girls froze when they saw Buffy sat on the window sill , Faith smiled and put an arm around each of the girls.

"So you're our new roomy? Names Faith and this is Amy and Harmony . "

" I'm Buffy "

The girls smiled back and then went to sit on their beds. Faith smiled back and flopped onto her own bed .She watched as Buffy went back to stare out of the window. Quiet one , wonder what happened to make her end up here?

" Dinners going be soon, best clean up ready "

The girls got up to wash up in the sink that sat in the corner of the room. Buffy watched and then returned to stare out of the window. Faith didn't want a trouble maker as a room mate, she didn't want someone that was a total bore either. While she didn't know Buffy's history, she felt that her closed off demeanor would affect the other girls and Faith had spent weeks trying to get the sisters to open up and accept her .

"Just gonna warn you once newby , Elisabeth hates anyone that doesn't comply with the rules . She might have seemed a sweety when she showed you round the place with your Social worker ,but that's an image .Once they drop you off and kiss you bye bye, all bets are off and Elisabeth turns out to be a hard bitch"

"I'm not hungry and nothing she could do to me can make me eat right now. You go and don't worry about me"

"Hate to be you if you keep that 'tude with her , don't say I didn't warn you"

Buffy ignored her and didn't notice them leave. "What could she do that is worse than losing my Mum and Dad ? "


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Buffy curled up on her bed and tried not to think of her Mum or Dad or the fact that she was now in a foster home. She had no chance of getting a new home as she was too old. Not that she wanted a new home or even cared that she was in the foster home at this point. Nobody could take the place of her parents.

She was fast asleep when Faith , Amy and Harmony returned to the room. They managed to get themselves ready for bed without disturbing her and soon they were all asleep.

The following morning was hard for Buffy. She woke disoriented, expecting to be in her own bed with the usual sounds of her mum downstairs cooking breakfast. The noise she heard was deafening , all she wanted to do was bury her head under her pillow and ignore the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the other room mates had already woken and were busying themselves with getting ready for breakfast and were dancing around to the radio.

"Best wake up B, Elisabeth will come round soon and you don't want to still be there when she does . "

"You go, I'm not in the mood for food . "

Faith huffed and sat on the bed. "Starving yourself won't help you know. I was like you when I first arrived , but the sooner you jump right in and keep occupied, the sooner you're out of here . "

Buffy stared at Faith for a few seconds and then caught Amy's smiled and nodded at her, silently agreeing with Faith. Slowly, Buffy got up and went into the bathroom. She closed the door after telling the girls she would be downstairs in a few minutes.

Faith, Amy and Harmony left the room to go down to the food hall. Each hoped that Elisabeth was too busy to notice Buffy's absence.

"So what do you think she's here for? Do you think she's a trouble maker, maybe here cos she got caught by the cops , " Harmony said .

Faith shook her head . "No, her clothes, hair and stuff, says she's loaded and kids with that kind of upbringing, they don't end up here . "

Amy smirked . "Maybe she got into the other kind of trouble , " she mimed a baby bump. "You know what the posh types are like about that. She probably shamed them and that's why they sent her here . "

Faith watched as Buffy walked into the dining room .Her hooded top was pulled up over her head to hide her face and she walked to the table at speed. She sat and barely acknowledged her room mates.

Across the room, a pair of blue eyes watched her too. Xander noticed his distraction and followed the path of his friends gaze. Xander rolled his eyes and leaned into Spike.

"She's out of your league look at her , emotional baggage and needy, do you really want to get lumped with that ? " Spike threw a dirty look Xanders way and then shrugged . "Just looks like she could do with a friend"

"And she has some , look . She's with Faith and her bitches, she'll be okay. Feel bad for her , yeah , but seriously Spike, you need to stay out of her way. Remember Cecily and the shit you got for even liking her ? "

Spike sighed and looked back at Buffy. She still had her hood up and she sat picking at her top. No, he didn't need to get his heart trampled again , but he felt drawn to her. Xander stood up and drew his attention away from her. They left the hall without a backwards glance.

"You need to eat something, been here a day and I haven't seen you eat a thing. Now, do you like burgers ? "

Buffy looked up from her lap and frowned . "Uh , yeah, guess so, but seriously , I can't eat , I feel sick . "

"Bull, Buffy quit feeling sorry for yourself and eat , " Faith replied.

Buffy set her teeth firm and growled , "I said I'm not hungry!" She stood hard and rushed from the dining room. She pushed past the small group that were making their way out of the room and ran outside into the yard. Buffy ran to the end of the building and hid in the shadows , bending and retching her empty stomach. Tears ran down her cheeks and she collapsed from the grief.

Spike stood and watched from his spot in the shadows. He let the cigarette hang from his lips as he witnessed her fall to the gravel. Maybe Xander was right, but he couldn't ignore her. Slowly he stepped forward. Buffy heard gravel moving and looked up sharply, "who's there?" She wiped the tears from her cheeks and sniffed. A shock of white blond hair and a plume of smoke appeared , accompanied by the bluest of eyes and black leather. "Who are you? Are you spying on me? "

Spike smirked. "No love, not spying on you , " he held his cigarette up, "Just out here having a smoke , the wardens don't like me doing it ,so I come out here. Want one?"

Buffy shook her head. "What's your name? "

"Spike, well that's what my mates call me ... what's yours? "

"Buffy, and that's my real name. Nice meeting you ...Spike. I best get back before they send out the search and rescue teams . "

"Wait , " he called after her , " I .. Faith and her girls? Not so nice pet, you can do better than to get mixed up with them. Elisabeth's tough , don't piss her off either. Watch your back . " Buffy looked at him over her shoulder and walked away.

Buffy had just stepped through the main door when someone grabbed her arm sharply. Buffy tried to snatched her arm back but found the grip just eyes met Elisabeth's and she cowered at the fury there.

"Where the hell did you go and why did you run out without eating ? "

"I wasn't hungry ," she answered.

Elisabeth narrowed her eyes and gave Buffy a cold hard stare , one that would chill the bones of satan himself. Buffy tried to pull her arm back and managed to this time.

"Come with me, it seems your luck may have changed". Buffy followed, a curious gaze set on her face as they walked into Elisabeth's office. "Sit ." Buffy perched on the edge of the seat and waited until the warden had settled herself. She gazed around the room until it came back to the overweight woman sat behind the desk.

"Seems we might have been fortunate. A couple will be coming tomorrow to view children in the hopes of fostering .They have specified that they don't want any youngsters and have expressed that they want a child that will 'fit' their requirements. It so happens , you, fit the description . "

Buffy felt numb, almost sickened . She had never been made to feel like a piece of prized meat , but now? Why couldn't she just stay here for the few months until her eighteenth and then go on with her life away from here? She hoped that her mental state would put them off of her. How many couples wanted to take on a child that had the emotional problems that she had? She doubted there were any. Most wanted blond haired , blue eyed cheerleader types that would smile and be grateful for the chance of belonging.

"What if I don't want to go? " she asked.

Elisabeth slammed her fist down on the table . Hard enough for the crystal ink wells to rattle and for the water jug to spill drops onto the polished wood. "If, ' if ' , they choose you, you will go, you will not cause trouble and you will act as though you are grateful. For god sake, do you know how rare an opportunity like this comes? I didn't think so . " She smirked . " I doubt they'll like you anyway. Look at you. More fat on an anorexic and you look a mess. Get out of my sight, oh and before tomorrow morning , get a bath . clean up your act and eat ! "

Buffy ran back to her room and collapsed on the bed, sobbing, not even realizing that she had left the door ajar. It seemed so unfair. To lose her parents in a tragic and mindless way, but to end up in the pit of hell with a bitch of a warden, it sucked . On top of all that she could end up farmed off to foster parents who probably just wanted an older child to parade as a trophy, or worse, to use as some kind of slave. Wouldn't that just be her luck of late? As Buffy lay on her bed sobbing, Spike slipped in and hovered, trying to build up the nerve to let her know he was there. Maybe he would be lucky and she'd let him comfort her. It seemed his body had it's own way of drawing her attention to his presence. His throat dried at the thought of holding her and he coughed violently.

Buffy sat up and turned shocked eyes on him. Not impressed by the invasion of her privacy, Buffy stood beside the bed and spoke quietly so that anyone walking past wouldn't hear them.

"What the hell do you think you were doing in here? "

Spike could hardly gasp out an answer , not that he could think of anything to say at that moment. Buffy went into the bathroom and returned with a glass of water. "Here, drink this slowly. " Spike took the glass and sipped it until his throat felt better and sat the glass on her bedside. He smiled and motioned towards the bed. "I take it things are still getting you down . "

" Aren't you just a regular Sherlock. Work that out all on your own? "She sat back on the bed. "Sorry , guess the last three days have been too much for me , but that doesn't give me the right to be a bitch to you. "

"S'ok. Need to vent, I get that , but instead of being a bitch, how about you just tell me what's so bad? "

Buffy looked up and found herself silenced by the depth of feeling in his eyes. "Not here. Last thing I need is that beast Elisabeth riding my back anymore today . "

Spike peered out of her room and waved his hand to let Buffy know that the coast was clear. He left his hand extended and was shocked when Buffy slipped her hand into his as they ran down the hall. The sensation of his hand wrapped protectively around hers gave Buffy a sense of freedom for the first time in days and she had to stifle a laugh. Running through halls at speed and turning swiftly let out her tension .Tension she felt would drown her and yet hardly cared. Now , with Spike, she felt that he would protect her. As stupid as that sounded since she hardly knew him, but that was how she felt. She was tugged sharply into a room and flattened by Spikes body, all thoughts disappeared and her heart rose in her chest. She was sure he could hear it beat faster. His finger shot to her lips when she opened her mouth to speak, effectively cutting her off. He leaned in and whispered ,his hot breath tickling her ear as he did."Big Beth and coming this way , stay still and quiet and she'll go on by ," he tilted his head and smirked .

She looked utterly adorable, flattened against a wall, his body holding her there, her green eyes wide with apprehension and something he couldn't quite place. He wedged his knee between her legs to flatten them further as a shadow stopped in front of the door and could be seen through the patterned glass. Spike leaned in again ,his lips brushing against her neck ,"how long do you have left here ? "

Buffy looked at the door and watched as the dark shape moved and more footsteps were heard growing more faint . When she turned back , her face almost collided with his . " About eight months, that's if the couple coming don't take me. How long have you got ? "

"Six months,thank god , " he peered around the door and saw the hall was empty. Rather than motioning Buffy out of the room, he closed the door quietly . " They're not out there but we best stay here for a bit just to make sure . " He smiled when Buffy rolled her eyes at him. Spike sat up on the desk at the back of the room , Buffy stayed against the wall. " So what's your story then? " He asked.

Buffy held his gaze for a few seconds before putting her head down. Holding back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks , she cleared her throat . " My parents were killed . "

Spike sighed, he felt like an insensitive wanker. Sure his Dad had died when he was young and he could barely remember him, but his mothers death wasn't that long ago. Couldn't he see in Buffy what his own pain had been like? He should have known. " Sorry ,I shouldn't have asked . Let's get you back ,yeah? "

"No , it's okay, I don't think I can handle seeing anyone right now, but you go if you want . "

"Mind if I don't, you look as though you could do with the company . "

Buffy let out a strangled laugh , " That is probably the one thing I don't need ," she paused ," I can be alone with you here . "

"Thanks ever so . "

Their eyes met again and Spike turned his head to look out of the window. The silence between them was wrought with a tension neither could ignore. Buffy slid down the wall and sat with her knee's bent , arms hugging them to her chest.

"I'd just come home from cheer leading practice and had walked into the lounge. A tall man stood holding my father by the throat and my mum was on the floor at his feet. I ran in and screamed while I tried to hit him and get him to let him go . My dad told me to run, to get out, but I froze. The man looked out me, this look of ... I don't know... he had this look of absolute rage on his face , yet his eyes were laughing. He saw me and dropped my father. The man grabbed me and pulled me to his chest , I struggled to get away , but he held me too tight. I felt his body rub against me and he licked my face.

Flashback.

"She's a cute one Hank, how does it feel to know that she'll be mine once your dead? Hmm, she's young , beautiful , bet she'll be a gold mine once I put her to work. Think she'll be thinking of you when I'm putting it to her ? "

Buffy struggled to get out of his hold, but it was useless. Angel laughed at her attempts and bent his head to her ear. "Keep this up and I'll get an erection. You ever been fucked before little girl ? "

Buffy stilled and stared at her parents , their faces full of fear and loathing for the man holding their daughter. Joyce reached out. " Don't , don't you touch her. Leave her out of this. If you must do that, then let it be me . "

Again, Angel laughed . "Why would I want you? You're used up...Your daughter is fresh, never even been kissed I bet . " He ground his hardness into her ass as he raised a gun. " Now, do I need to remind you of the rules ? " Joyce and Hank shook their heads, their eyes full of tears. "Good . "

Angel tossed Buffy onto the couch and stalked towards her . He opened his fly and knelt before her, pulling off her cheerleader panties. He glanced over his shoulder and smirked before grabbing Buffys hair and pulled her up to his lips for a brutal kiss. He looked into her eyes and smiled around her lips, enjoying the pain he was causing them all. He felt her arms push against his chest and pulled back . " You make this harder than it has to be and I'll shoot your dad, do you want that ? "

Buffy's eyes filled with fresh tears and she shook her head. The pressure from her hand eased and he smiled at her. "Good girl ," Angel rubbed her with his hard cold hands and found her to be wet enough. Without warning he pushed his swollen cock inside her. Buffy screamed at the invasion and brought her legs up to force him back . Her cries of pain echoed through the house and Hank could stand it no longer. He got up and raced at Angel , bowling him over . He landed beside him and knelt up, swinging a punch at Angels face. As the momentum carried him over Angels body a shot rang and Joyce screamed as they watched Hank fall to the side ,clutching his chest. Blood soaked his shirt and pooled under him. His eyes were glassy and stared at his wife. His last breath rattled in his chest and gargled from his throat .Buffy ran to her mothers side and tried to pry the stricken woman from the floor. Angel pushed Hank with the toe of his boots before turning his attention to Buffy and Joyce.

"See, now I have a problem," he pointed to Hank . " He used my girls and never paid, he took my drugs , and never paid, and he gambled using the same sorry excuses , running up a huge tab. Well ,now I won't get that money ,will I? The bastards dead and got a debt as long as your arm. So , what do you suggest we do about that then ladies? "

Joyce stood, holding Buffy to her side protectively. " The house, take the house , just give me a few days to move out and find somewhere for us to stay. " Angel shook his head.

"Not gonna even touch it , the debt, it's more than this shit hole is worth. " He advanced on Joyce ,holding the gun up . She felt the hot metal against he temple and swallowed hard. Her eyes screwed firmly shut as he breathed out hard and she felt it on her face.

Buffy set her lips firm and gathered as much courage as she could. She raised her leg as fast as she could and then watched as he fell to the floor clutching his manhood and coughing. Buffy reached for Joyce's hand and tried to pull her from the lounge and towards the front door. Another shot rang out and Buffy felt Joyce fall away from her. She turned to see Joyce kneel , holding her hand to her neck . Buffy crouched down and begged for her mum to get up, to run.

"No Buffy , go hide , you know where, go now before he gets back up and comes after you. I love you baby , go , please ," she implored. Buffy glanced to where Angel had been kneeling and saw that he had started to recover enough to get to his feet. He staggered , then turned towards the lounge doors.

"I love you too mommy , I'll be back when the police get here ." Buffy kissed Joyce on the forehead and ran upstairs. She ran as fast as she could and turned once she reached the top of the stairwell. A shot went off and narrowly missed her. Buffy screamed out and ran down the hall to her room. Once inside she locked the door and backed away from it. Another shot , this time it splintered the wood of the door, weakening the lock. Angel pounded against the door, each time the door weakened a little more.

"When I get in there I'm going to finish what we started downstairs . I'm gonna enjoy fucking that virgin pussy , gonna make you mine little girl, mark you as such. No-one else is going to want it by the time I'm through with you . "

Buffy shrank further into her room, she looked over to the wall opoosite and ran for it. She hit a panel and it opened. She ducked inside and pushed it shut. She could hear his muffled rant , but couldn't make out what he was saying ,she thanked god for that much at least. Finally , she heard the door give way and splinter off it's hinges.

Mentally ,Buffy repeated 'oh god' , her eyes screwed tightly shut. Muffled and getting louder, Buffy heard police. Were they coming to her house? Had a neighbor or passer by heard the shots and called? Buffy prayed they had and that the bastard that had killed her father would be caught and that she would be safe. The sirens seemed so loud now that they must have been outside her house now. Buffy could only pray that they would be able to save her mom.

Present.

Spike sat close to Buffy, his arm around her shoulder. No wonder she was so depressed and hiding herself . He pulled her closer to him as she wept. He stroked her blond hair from her face and comforted her . Neither of them noticed how dark it was getting as they held each other.

Elisabeth growled low in her throat. The new girl was really causing her trouble. The couple had rang to say that they had made their choice , that they would try and rush the foster order through as fast as they could and that hoped the girl would be ready to go as soon as they heard. Elisabeth had tried to sway them to take one of the other girls, as Buffy had been less than co-operative and that she could see Buffy becoming even more so. She neglected to tell them that she was missing and could have ran away. Her thoughts weren't helped by the fact that Spike was missing too. His track record for running away was long, had he persuaded her to go with him?

Elisabeth rolled her eyes . What was she worried about. Spike was always caught after only a few days and with Buffy in tow, he'd be slower . She doubted that Buffy would sleep rough. This girl was used to luxury, not dirt and the harshness of living rough. The police would probably pick them up later that night. She sunk into her office chair , it creaked from her weight and Elisabeth smiled. Soon .


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

Buffy pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Sorry, I got your shirt soaking wet.I think there's possibly some snot too, " she smiled

"S'ok. Not the first time a bird's covered me in it, doubt it'll be the last neither. " He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek clear of a remaining tear.

"Why are you here? I mean, if you don't mind telling me. "

"My da died when I was young, not sure how, can only just remember mum did all she could for me but she couldn't cope. She turned to drink to help keep her numb. She lost her job because of it and we struggled. I did my best to earn what I could, where I could . I came home from school and found her passed out. Nothing unusual about that, so I went to my job, packing groceries at the local shop. When I came home she was still in the same place, same position. " Spike sighed and pulled Buffy closer, " I tried to wake her up. She felt cold so I covered her up and went to bed. When I got up for school she was still there, but she was blue. I called a doctor, they came and examined her and they told me she had died the day before. Probably was dead when I first saw her on the couch. Choked on her own vomit, they said. "

Buffy saw the emotions play behind his eyes, no tears fell, he just held on to her as though she was anchoring him, she reached up and stroked his cheek. Spike smiled sadly and carried on.

"I was bought here and didn't even get to go to my mums funeral. Not that it was much of one. They sold the house, didn't get much for it, but it paid off her debts. Been here two years now, I tried to run away, each time they catch me and Elisabeth locks me up as a punishment. I'll just be glad to get away from here. "

"Me to. I'm sorry about your mum. "

Spike pulled her in closer still and kissed the top of her head. Thoughts ran wildly through his mind, none making a connection and becoming anything worthy of voicing. For now he was content just to sit there, in the dark and hold Buffy. He felt her shift and snug closer into his side, her head resting on his shoulder, her hand laid on his chest and he knew that he would do anything for her. He closed his eyes, her breath on his neck had evened out, telling him that she had fallen asleep. Spike drifted off a few minutes later.

Breakfast had come and gone and there was still no sign of Spike or the new girl, Buffy. Elisabeth paced her office. The police had no joy in finding them and that frustrated her no end. To make matters worse, she was expecting the couple today, how could she tell them that the girl they were most interested in, was missing? Yes, she thought, I will be glad to see the back of that girl .

Buffy turned over and collided with something that lay next to her. She opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the light before she focussed on Spike. At first she was shocked to find him there, but then last night came flooding back and she smiled. She raised her head up and looked down her body, his hand was resting on her hip and the other had been her leg had been between hers, his head rested on the same arm she had used . While he remained asleep, Buffy took the time to study him. His look screamed danger but in truth ,he was sensitive and caring. His cheekbones were something to envy and his blue eyes reminded her of the ocean, one that she could drown in. His lips were soft and full and when they had brushed against her neck, she had felt a shiver run down her whole body, not that she had taken the time to register that at the time. With light touches, Buffy ran her hand down his chest, it was hard, muscular but not overly so. She pulled at her lip with her teeth and her hand strayed to his stomach. It wasn't just his chest that was nicely formed. Her eyes drifted down lower and she saw the bulge that grew under her gaze. Her eyes shot back to Spikes face and she gasped when she was met by his bluer than blue eyes.

"Having fun pet? "

Buffy instantly pulled away and stammered out an apology. Spike could have kicked himself, he had scared her and now she was caught between staying and fleeing. He reached out and caught her hand, stopping her babbling apologies and holding her in his gaze.

"I'm sorry if I spooked you love, didn't mean to. It's not everyday I wake to find a gorgeous girl by my side. "

Buffy smiled a little and sat back down. "I guess we'll be in trouble for this, I'm sorry for getting you caught up in my problems. "

"Don't fret, I've been in worse shit than this, believe me. She probably thinks we've run away. " Buffy looked back into his eyes and they stared at one another for what seemed like forever. Spike pulled her close to him and felt the tension ease from her body. "Can we stay like this a while longer, we're going to get punished regardless, may as well make it worth it ." He felt her nod against his chest.

It was now getting late in the morning and the couple was due any minute. Buffy was still missing and Elisabeth was frantic. If she messed up this meeting then Mr. O'Connor would hold back his sizable ' donations ', not to mention what he could possibly do to her. Letting him down was not an option she had.

"Say we go someday, to London, where would we stay? " She asked

"Don't know. We'd find some old Victorian house with boarded up windows and make it ours. We would do it up, bit by bit and .... "

He felt her sadden and stopped. "What is it ,pet? Don't like that idea? "

"No, no , I do, " she hurried to say. "It's just.... well my parents... they were well off. I'll inherit a small fortune , so you see, we wouldn't have that to worry about. " Her voice was tinged with sadness.

"Tell you what princess, we'll still find that dilapidated old house and we will still do it up, make it ours. "

"I like the sound of that," she cheered a little at the thought.

Neither of them cared that they had known one another, really known each other, for such a short period of time. Buffy could see that making plans to run away with a boy she hardly knew was crazy, but being there, in his arms, feeling safe ,made her forget logic, forget sensibilities and seize it with both hands. She had no-one, not to lean on or take comfort in and here he was ,holding her, willing to give her what she craved. Spike breathed in the scent of her hair and smiled. This girl was willingly making plans to run with him. To go somewhere and it just be the two of them. No-one to interfere, no-one to tell them they were wrong and to split them apart. Just them. He hardly knew her, true, but he felt it, they were kindred spirits. Of course his insecurities told him that this was nothing but pipe dreams, that she wouldn't go with him and that this was just talk. He breathed in deeply and tried to push away his negative thoughts. Was he being a fool for love again? Hoping that Buffy would feel the same way?

"You mean it don't you, love? That we'll go as soon as we can, and leave this hell hole? "

Buffy looked down at her lap. Would she? She hated it here but it was better than being out on the streets. Then there was the foster family that was coming to see her today...... crap! Buffy looked down to see if he as wearing a watch, not seeing one she glanced around the room and didn't see a clock.

"Crap, Elisabeth will skin me alive. I was supposed to be viewed by a couple today. Shit, what time is it? " She scrambled up and out of Spikes arms. He got up a moment after she had. Buffy straightened her clothes and ran her fingers through her hair. Spikes heart sank to his shoes, she hadn't answered him and with the way she was acting now, he knew her answer. Sadly, he opened the door and walked down the hall. Buffy noticed he had left as she looked to where he had been and then to the now open door.

"Nice one Summers! " Buffy huffed at herself and her predicament and made her way back down to Elisabeth's office.

Buffy sped down the hall and passed a group of girls, Faith and her girls were a part of them. Buffy heard Faiths voice bellow, "There's the dirty stop out, what ya reckon girls, think Spike give it to her good? " The other girls laughed. Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head until Harmony said something to stop her in her tracks.

"I bet he did, she's his type, needy and heartbroken. Every girl he's ever gone for has been just like her. You'd think he would have learned by now after what happened with Cecily. "

Amy sniggered. " Well you didn't complain when he was giving it to you Harm.... all we heard was, 'oh Spike ,you're sooooo big. "

Buffy wiped the tears from her eyes and carried on towards the office, the last thing she heard was Faith telling the girls to quit it and that Buffy was about to face Elisabeth. The girls all quietened.

Buffy sucked air in over her teeth and hesitantly knocked on Elisabeth's door was snatched open and a furious looking Elisabeth stood glaring.

"Get in here Summers !" The door slammed shut behind her and Buffy edged her way to the chair.

"Don't you dare sit down! Now you tell me where the hell you were last night and for the most part of today. " Buffy's mouth flapped open and shut, unsure of what to say, Buffy shrugged. Elisabeth drew back her hand and it connected with Buffy's cheek. Buffy clutched her cheek as she sat on the floor, having been knocked there by the forceful slap.

"You were with Spike weren't you? Did that wretched boy take advantage? Did you fornicate? " She screamed.

Buffy could feel her anger woman was unbelievable! Slowly Buffy stood. She took her hand from her face and stared. "No we did not, not that it is any of your business. " She took a step toward Elisabeth. "You ever raise your hand to me again and so help me god, I'll make you pay! " Buffy didn't wait for the wardens reaction, she left the office leaving the door open. She had to find Spike and apologize for the way she had acted this morning and to tell him that, yes, she would go with him and the sooner, the better.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Flashback to a hour ago.

Elisabeth sat in her office chair , breathing heavy, her face fumed with anger. Never before had a girl threatened her, most cowered and cried, sniveling with fear from her! She narrowed her eyes and began plotting how she would deal with Buffy when the telephone rang. It's shrill noise broke her train of vicious thoughts. " What? " she snapped.

"Is that any way to speak to your benefactor and repeat customer? "

His voice sent shivers down Elisabeth's spine and a bead of nervous sweat trickled down her cleavage. Elisabeth closed her eyes and swallowed as she prayed that he was calling to reschedule their meeting. "No, no , of course can I help you? " she said with a fake cheerfulness.

"Polite, I like it happens I'm calling to say that can't make our meeting wife has taken herself off for a day of retail therapy after a little mishap of mine yesterday" , he laughed. "Of course, the retail therapy is on charge to my card. Always knew how to wound me, vicious little minx. "

Elisabeth sighed with relief, " Well that's fine Mr. O' Connor. Who knows maybe you and your good wife will change your minds and decide this girl is not suitable. "

Angel frowned, his interest peaked, " Why would she not be suitable? Is there an issue regarding the girl? " Elisabeth cursed her loose tongue ,"No, not at anything was wrong rest assured I would tell you. "

"Good then I will ask my wife to call with a new appointment time . "

"I look forward to it. " Elisabeth lied and hoped that it wouldn't be too soon. The phone disconnected and Elisabeth ran her hands over her face and let out an audible sigh.

She had to separate Buffy from that boy, Spike. She knew she would not be able to keep Spike in solitary for too long. Attention was being drawn to her by Spikes friend, Xander. There had to be another way for her to keep Spike away from Buffy. It wouldn't be for much longer, Angel had requested the girl immediately. Two weeks, she calculated, sure within herself that Buffy would be gone by then. She only hoped that Angel would still think she was a virgin. Little did she know of the reason behind Angel wanting Buffy, or their history.

Normal Timeline.

Buffy walked slowly from the office, her feet navigating their way to the alley. Her attention snapped back to reality when she heard his throat clear. Their eyes met and Buffy swallowed hard.

"Where'd you run off to earlier? " He asked with a voice that sounded small.

"Elisabeth's office, turns out she has a new family set up for me. "

"Congratulations, pet . Hope you'll be right happy , " he said threw his cigarette away and pushed passed Buffy in a bid to get away from her without showing his emotions. He felt like a fool, base instincts had led him to think that Buffy was different from the other girls. He had felt a connection with her, like kindred spirits or some such rot. Yet again his eagerness to love and be loved ,had meant that he had been made a fool of. Spikes thoughts were halted when her hand caught his arm and stopped him before he had made his escape.

"Don't go........Please" ,her eyes begged him to stay.

"What is it that you want Buffy? I hear you say one thing but then you rush off as though it means nothing. Is it just pipe dreams Buffy? "

"No, no ..... I meant it Spike, every word.I'm just so confused, I'm such a mess.I just want to be back home ,my Mum and Dad alive and I just want to be happy again. " Her tears fell but this time Buffy wasn't aware until Spike wrapped her up in his kissed her hair, her cheeks and buried his face in her neck. "God ,Buffy,that's all I want, want so much, let's go and do what we said we would.I'll get some money together and then we'll go. "

"I can get money parents left me a sizable trust fund.I can get my fathers lawyer to release some of the money to me. "

"Buffy, " he brushed her hair back from her face and smiled. "How long will that take? "

Buffy frowned ,"Until I can get the money or until the foster parents come for me? "

"Both? " He asked

"Five days for the funds to be transferred, I have no idea when the couple will be coming to collect me. "

"So, " his feet shifted on the loose gravel and his head bowed before looking back up again, and meeting her gaze ."Five days, are you sure Buffy? I don't want to get my hopes up for you to change your mind. "

"I won't," she answered with a determined and strong voice, there was no hesitation and Spike knew that she was resigned to doing it. "Tomorrow I'll phone Tara and arrange for my fathers lawyer to draw out some much do you think we will need? "

Spike was suddenly embarrassed. He kicked at the gravel and ran his hand over his peroxide locks. "I can get about twenty thousand in cash, should last us a while, " he said proudly.

Buffy nodded "I'll see if I can get an advance of sixty thousand, that should be enough to put a down payment on an apartment somewhere. " Spike was astounded by , not just the amount, but by the way she made it sound like a pittance. "But Buffy, " he sounded a little defeated, "we aren't old enough to rent a place. " Her face fell and then brightened again, "But I can.I can get my lawyer to buy us one, or, or, get a friend to buy us an apartment. Yeah, " she smiled now, "I'll get a friend to buy one for us. "

"Buffy, " he cut off her tirade, " Buffy , pet, " he wrapped his arms around her, her back to his chest, her head fell back against his shoulder ."I know, I know.......I'm rambling .I do that Dad always said it was a flaw and if I didn't have anything constructive or intelligent to say then I should just be quiet. "

He blanched and frowned at how a man could be so harsh. "It wasn't that love, it's ..... we do this yeah? " She nodded, and Spike continued ,"Then we need to stay low, not leave a trail. We can't use names or it'll make us easy for the authorities to find . They 'll drag us back here, maybe even separate us .We can stay in hotels and move around.I got my drivers license so we can buy a car and go from place to place, see the world. "

Buffy turned in his arms and stood on her toes to peck him on his lips briefly, too briefly. Spike closed his eyes and committed the sensation to his memory. "I like that plan, " she smiled up at him again as the last of her tears fell from her cheeks. "Do you think we will make it? We hardly know one another, how do we know we'll be compatible? " she asked, suddenly scared that they would fight and she would be left alone.

"I can tell, " he said "I have this sixth sense for exactly this type of thing. " He stroked her cheek gently with his fingertip, "I just know we'll do well pet, I can feel it, can't you? " His face was by now, only an inch from hers, their noses almost touching. Her eyes drifted from his lips to his cerulean eyes that shone with all of his emotions. Her tongue darted out to wet her top lip .Spikes heart raced . He drew her closer and now she was flush against him and he shuddered as her hands moved up over chest. Her heart thumped away beneath her breast, anticipating his next move. Spike slipped his arm around her waist to hold her to him, his other hand fisted in her hair gently. "Tell me you feel it too, Buffy. Tell me I'm not a fool and that I'm imagining this. "

"You're not alone, " she croaked out, her throat dry from the sexual tension that seemed to be building up between them. Hesitantly, he leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers. He pulled back to look into her eyes and saw the same emotions reflected there. Buffy's breathlessness was matched by his and their lips met again with more heat and passion. Spike backed them up until Buffy's back hit the wall and then her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling herself up to meet his lips again with more hunger. Neither one could stop. Buffy broke from his kiss, gasping breathlessly. " Wow! " She whispered, making Spike smile with pride. Her lips were a deeper red and her cheeks flamed and her eyes were dark with lust.

"Come here, " he held out his hand for he to hesitantly placed her hand in his, wondering where he was going to take her. "Just trust me, pet. "

Why he had said that was beyond her. He had to know that she did trust him. That was why she was willing to go with him, anywhere he asked her to or lead her. When they reached the end of the alley and rounded the corner of the imposing building, Buffy saw where he was taking large abandoned gym. Buffy's feet suddenly felt like lead and her pace slowed, making Spike turn and stop to look at her.

"What's the matter Buffy? "

"I'm not sure I'm ready to ...... You know. "

She was adorable. At that moment he could see the mix of emotions play across her face, warring with the lust they had built up in each other back in the alley. He took her back in his arms, "I promise you love, I'm not going to ask you for anything you're not willing to give.I won't pressure you, just to talk, okay? "

His eyes held hers and she knew he spoke the truth. Buffy nodded and they continued their path to the empty and dilapidated building. Spike pulled an old and dried out vine from the door and shouldered the door open. It 's old hinges groaned their disapproval at being forced. Both Buffy and Spike waited by the door for their eyes to adjust to the darkness inside.

The old gym was more or less empty. The only equipment left behind was a few mats that had been strewn here and there on the floor and a frame of bars that were used for climbing. An old 'horse' sat at the opposite end of the hall, it's suede top hanging off, moth eaten and almost bald. Dust motes rose up and danced in the dim light as Spike made his way around to gather the mats. He piled them up and then sat down, patting the space beside him. Buffy joined him and they sat quietly looking around the a while, Spike laid down, his hands behind his head for support as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Where do you think we should go first? "

"I'm not sure, " Buffy answered. " I've always wanted to go to New York, plus New York is big enough for us to get lost in. It will be hard for them to find us there.I've always wanted to go to Vegas. All the pretty lights and glamour.I wanted to be one of those dancers there, you know the ones that do the can-can .It should be easy to get jobs there ,I would have thought. "

Spike watched her as she seemed to come alive, her eyes wide and her arms waved about, passion filled her as she spoke of her childhood dreams of being a dancer. When she calmed down he nodded his agreement. Spike turned on his side so that he faced her, his hand automatically coming to rest on her hip. His thumb lazily caressed the skin that was exposed there.

His touch sent sparks of something she had never felt before through her body. She shuddered and sighed as it finally settled in her womb . A small sigh escaped her lips drawing Spikes attention. He moved closer to her , his hand continued to toy at her hip. Buffy's eyes closed and she moaned low in her throat. She silently hoped that he would kiss her again and that his hand would just go a little farther down and caress her lower ......

Spike pulled her against his body, only clothing separating them . Spike moved to kiss her and saw the look of worry that marred her face, making her brow crease ."What is it love? "

"We won't get caught here, will we? "

Spike smiled, a smiled that eased her mind. "No-one comes here anymore, we're safe Buffy. " He pulled her close again ,her head came to rest on his chest while his hand absently stroked through her silky soft hair, his other arm rested under his head again. Spike's smile remained on his lips as she purred her contentment.

"You still awake , Pet? " He asked after a while. Buffy nodded her answer as she raised her head to meet his eyes. "Do you think Elisabeth will be able to stop you from getting the money? "

Buffy pushed up on one of her arms and looked down at him, "I can't see how she could.I'll be asking Tara to get it for me. The only way she could, would be if Tara told her about it or gave it to her to pass on to me.I'll ask Tara to make sure that she gives it to me personally and not to discuss it with Elisabeth.I can't see why it would have anything to do with Elisabeth anyway. "

"Good plan, " he said as he dropped a kiss on her rolled up and then sat astride Spikes lap. He groaned at the contact and closed his eyes ,trying to control the urge he had to roll them over and to devour her there and opened his eyes to find that she was just inches above him ,their gaze meeting again and told of the hunger within them both. "Buffy, " he choked out as his throat dried and he swallowed hard.

Buffy lowered herself, stopping briefly before she committed herself to the kiss. Her hot little hands stayed on his chest, feeling the muscles below ripple and dance as he tangled his hands in her hair. His hands then journeyed down her back and then under her top. Buffy shivered at the contact, making him moan as her hips ground down on his. Spikes touch heated her skin, where his fingers danced lightly over her skin, she felt as if he was lighting touch paper ready to set off explosions within her. He smiled beneath her lips at her reactions to him and held her close. His legs parted slightly and he raised his hips in an instinctual move to get some friction.

As if he sensed her apprehension, Spike broke his hold on her and his kisses became feather light touches. Buffy panted and opened her eyes. "Why did you stop? " Spike wondered why himself. One look at her and he knew. "Pet, when we do this ,I want it to be perfect.I want it to be just us, no ghosts from the past and not about erasing some awful memory. It will be about us and only us. "

Buffy sank beside him again .So many emotions assaulted her but the one that settled, was rejection. Tears clung to her lashes and threatened to spill down her cheeks. He sighed at seeing her like that, making him regret being noble. "Don't be upset ,love. It's nothing that you did or did not do.I just want you to think I'm only after you for sex and your money. "

"I get it, it's fine" , Buffy choked out, "I best get back before that beast, Elisabeth realizes I'm missing again. " Buffy stood and brushed the dust from her clothing as best she could.

"No, Buffy, love, wait, " he grabbed her and pulled Buffy into his arms, her head tucked to his chest, "Don't go yet. " Buffy breathed heavily and then he held her at arms length from him, " I'm no knight in shining armour, and I'm not letting you go until we're okay.I'm sorry if I gave you reason to think I don't want you love. Truth is, I do, god help me I do, but I'm a bloody idiot and I don't have much luck or experience with girls.I want things to be perfect. "

Buffy felt her anger and humiliation fade away. She wiped her tears away and looked at Spike. His sincerity shone in his eyes and chased all fears of hers away. She moved back into his embrace.

"Don't you get it? " He looked down at her, and Buffy continued , " It is just us, you and me and no-one else. When I'm with you the rest of the world falls away until it is just us. " She smiled nervously, " Nothing else matters. "

If Buffy had wanted to say anything else, she would have had trouble. No sooner had she said those words then his lips sought hers. He crashed his lips to hers, his tongue sought entrance to her mouth and his arms held her body tight to his. He started to walk her backwards, back towards the mats. Buffy's heels hit the pile and she lost balance, taking Spike down with her. His arms shot out instinctively and stopped him from crushing her as he fell. Lips came together again in a heated fury. Hands roamed for flesh, seeking out gaps in their clothes so they could touch, could feel. Buffy gripped the hem of Spikes T-shirt and raised it up, he knelt and raised his arms so she could take it up over his head. Sharp little nails gently ran down his chest and stomach before he leaned back over and kissed her breathless. Spike kicked off his boots and then pried hers from her feet.

Buffy sighed into his mouth as his cool fingers stroked the soft skin of her abdomen and then pulled her top off, leaving her lying in just her bra and jeans, the buttons to which ,were now open. Spikes jean fly was open, giving Buffy a glimpse of what laid beneath. Buffy's tongue wet her lips in anticipation.

"You are so bloody gorgeous " he sighed as he looked down upon her . Her blond hair fanned out around her ,her tanned skin glowed like liquid gold and her eyes were wide and almost black with lust. Her lips shone as she moistened them again with her tongue. "You sure, Buffy. I'm not sure I could take it if we go farther and you say no ."

"I'm sure. " to prove her point and desperate for more contact, more of his kisses, just more of him, she pulled him down again and attacked his lips as her hands started to push his jeans from his hips.

In a blur of arms and legs and shed clothes, finally they laid together, naked. Spike kissed her with kitten soft touches as he made his way down her body. Her nipples pebbled under his attentions and his fingertips ghosted down her sides and across the valleys her hips made, leading down to her throbbing core. Buffy's back lifted from the mats and she mewled her pleasure as his fingers ran through the soft hairs that covered his goal. Buffy's hand alternated between gripping the mat edge and running through his platinum hair.A smile played on his lips as she brought her hips up, desperate for friction of any kind. Spike ran his fingers over her pussy and groaned at how wet he found her.

"Please , " she whispered before her lips hungrily sought out his. Without delay, he entered her slowly ,savoring the sensations that bombarded him. He had he been sheathed in anything so hot ,so tight and so ......He moaned as he felt her tighten up around him, squeezing his cock deliciously. Spike closed his eyes and gritted his teeth to stave off his release. He wanted this to last , if he had his way he would stay inside her forever and never let her go.

Buffy touched his cheek and bought him back to her and moved her hips in a circular motion, making him moan her name . His movements were slow and gentle , each thrust of his hips taking him deeper. Buffy felt like every nerve in her body was sending red hot lightning through her body ,every pulse point was throbbing, as if it was building up pressure and would explode at any moment. Never had she felt like this before. Was this normal? Her breaths were small pants .Moans and small cries escaped her as Spike sped up now and whispered to her as his head rested on her shoulder. His teeth had scraped and bit down when she had arched up and met his thrusts with her own .He was alternating between words of worship and obscenities that made her flush and her pussy throb.

........."Come for me baby..... so close.... let me feel you squeeze me with that hot little quim......"

That was all it took .Buffy thrashed beneath him as he pounded her into the mats below them .Her body shook as her pussy gripped him and pulsed around his cock, taking him over the precipice with her. His throaty cry echoed around the gym as his cock jerked inside her, triggering yet another mind blowing orgasm. His body shook and finally he fell forward onto his elbows, unable to support his own weight as he continued to spill his load. Breathless kisses were peppered across her cheeks and jaw and finally with a last moan, he rolled from her. His arms drew her to him ,needing to feel her there, her head laid on his chest and her arms wrapped around him too.

" You okay kitten? " he asked in a breathy voice . "I'm fine, better than fine.I've never ....." she trailed off and felt his lips kiss her hair. "Don't say, kind of felt nothing like that. You're so bloody gorgeous. "

He really wanted to pour out his real feelings and tell her that he was falling for her , but he had done that before and had been laughed at and ridiculed for it. Spike doubted that Buffy would be that cruel,but he had thought that before now. His immature heart had set him up for falls too many times and he was determined to not be crushed again.

"Spike? "

"Hmmmm, " he mumbled as his eyes closed ,enjoying the last of his orgasm and the feeling of completeness that overwhelmed him.

"I ..... nothing"

His eyes opened and looked down at the top of her head as she toyed with the light hairs that ran down from his navel and drew the outline of his abdominal muscles with her fingertips. "What is it kitten? You can tell me, I don't bite. " She snorted and leaned up, her fingers going to her shoulder that showed evidence that wasn't strictly true. "Okay , I do , sometimes, but that's your fault for being so bloody edible".He rolled her onto her back and settled between her legs again and growled as he feigned biting her again.

"Stop! " She begged as she laughed and tried to push him back. "Don't wanna! " he answered as he bit down on her neck and sucked .Buffy cried out and laughed at the same time while trying to lift him away from her. "You're a beast, you best not have left a mark! If Elisabeth see's that she'll ...."

"Go green in the face , hurl obscenities and her head will explode , with any luck. " Spike sat back on his feet and felt a warmth spread through him when he saw the mark he had left on her neck. Seeing his gaze fix on the spot he had just been sucking on, Buffy's hand shot to it and touched the tender skin. "You marked me! " She acted shocked and had widened eyes, yet she still smiled.

"Marked you as mine, baby, " he smirked.

"Is that what I am? Yours? "

This was it... his looked down at his lap and only then did he realize that 'a)' he was still naked and apparently horny again and , 'b)' he was in love with this girl. "You are, if you want to be. "

"I want ... a whole lot of want.... , " then her eyes focussed on his groin ....."Oh ... not that want.... unless you want ...... "

He kept his head bowed and looked up at her through his lashes. His tongue played across his teeth and lapped at his lips. "Oh you bet I want ............ "

In the darkness, pants and sighs were the only sound. As they grew closer to release, Buffy whispered out in her frenzy, without thought ,"I love you ..... love you ....gah..... " . His hips slowed and he looked down at her to see that Buffy was oblivious as her orgasm took her over, yet he knew it to be true. "Love you too ....... " he whispered back .


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six.

Angel O'Connor paced his office. Nothing seemed to be going right for him. Hanks debt was vast and he had no way of getting that money from him now he was could dead. How he have been so stupid? His daughter was in the system and that meant that he couldn't get to her as easily as he wished. Elisabeth had assured him that she would be able to fast track Buffy through the adoption or fostering process without a problem , and yet , here he was being told he had to wait.

Even Darla had been causing him no end of problems. Firstly, Darla decided that the girl would have to stay with his other 'girls' ,because afterall, she would be just another whore .Then his wife had become even more jealous .Angel was becoming obsessed. After screaming and ranting at him, Darla had left his office, slamming the heavy oak door so hard his priceless works of art rattled in their frames, swearing that he would pay for his obsession one way or another. His bank had called him two hours later to confirm an expensive purchase at Aston Martins showroom. Angel closed his eyes and looked toward the sky . He knew that Darla would make him pay and she had, but that would not be the end of it, no, he knew from experience just how vindictive and evil she could be. A hour later and he had received a call from L.A.P.D. An officer informed him that his wife had had an accident in her brand new DB9 , she was unharmed but unfortunately ,the car was a write off.

Elisabeth was frantic and her anger was consuming her .Where the hell could that little bitch be ? She caught sight of Xander as she stormed down the hall towards Spike and Xanders room. Without warning she grabbed Xanders arm and pulled him back into his room.

Xander wasn't a weak and frail boy, he was heavy set with broad shoulders and a muscular build, so when Elisabeth tossed him back on his bed with ease, he knew it spelled trouble, Spike shaped trouble.

"Where is he? " she asked through gritted teeth, spittle flew from her lips as she growled out her question.

Xander stayed in the position he had landed in, his arm bent behind him, supporting his body, one leg raised and the other hanging over the edge of the mattress. "I don't know, he didn't come back last night. "

"You're his roomy, it's your job to know, now, where is he? "

Xander felt sweat rise up on his back and beads of it ran down, making him squirm. Elisabeth took this as his discomfort at being questioned and she grinned with evil intent. "So, your best friend, and room mate goes missing for yet another night and you say you have no idea where he is? Her hand lashed out and caught Xander on his right cheek and sent him rolling back farther onto the bed. Xanders yelp was only mildly satisfying. Elisabeth advanced on him and again, asked where Spike was. Holding his cheek, Xander firmed his lips and again told her he had no clue as to where Spike was. Luck seemed to be on Xanders side as she seemed to back off and with a growl, she walked out looking pre-occupied ,slamming the door behind her.

A week had passed since Angel had last had contact with Elisabeth. He was not a patient man, by rights ,he should have had the Summers girl by now. Elisabeth had made excuses, poor ones , and he had enough.A quick call to his lawyer and he had arranged an appointment to 'view' Ms Summers in three days time.

Elisabeth had forced him to go above her, to arrange this meeting behind Darla's back , something that his wife would make him pay for. That was normal within their relationship though, and he would take that out on Elisabeth and the object he covetted. Within the week, Buffy would be his, of that he was certain.

Elisabeth slammed the receiver to her phone back into its cradle. That idiot O'Connor had gone to her superior in his bid for the Summers girl. Not only had this raised questions from her boss regarding her ability to run the facility , but it also meant that he would not be paying her the two hundred and fifty thousand she charged as her fee. That would not be the only thing that he would do, and she feared whatever Angel decided to do to punish her.

Lunchtimes soon became her favorite time of the day. Spike would join her at her table and would shower her with affection, not caring who saw them. Xander had taken to joining them and she quickly grew to love his goofy and carefree attitude. He was fast becoming the brother that she never had.

Tara had complied with Buffy's wishes and had handed her a small hold all that contained her sixty thousand in cash Tara had asked questions which Buffy easily brushed aside. Tara asked Buffy to accompany her to a local coffee house, a request that had Elisabeth scowling, but could not deny.

They sat out on the veranda of the coffee house with large cups of hot foamy coffee ,both knowing that Tara would not be leaving without knowing the truth behind Buffy's request for the money.

"So, Buffy, tell me how it is going" Tara picked up the sugar , emptying the sachets into her coffee and stirred it lazily while she waited for Buffy to answer.

"Okay ,I guess.I mean ,it's not how I imagined it would be. Elisabeth is harsh and I don't trust her, but I keep out of her way as much as I can.

The terrace of the coffee house was pretty. The white iron tables were offset with green parasols and were placed around a fountain. Baskets of fragranced flowers hung on the eaves of the building and sat in ornamental tubs . Buffy breathed in their scent and relaxed a little.

"Elisabeth has always had her own 'special' way of running the home. Some of her ways I don't agree with, but she hasn't broken any laws or guidelines that are in place. No-one has ever made a complaint against her either. "

Buffy raised her brows in disbelief.

"Have you made many friends? " Tara asked and Buffy smiled shyly, nodded and then sipped her coffee .She put her cup down and licked the cappuccino froth from her top lip.

"The girls I share with are okay.I'm not exactly friends with them but I think Faith and I understand each other."

"That's great! Will you answer my original question now? "

Buffy almost choked on her mouthful of hot coffee. She laid her cup down heavily on its saucer and sighed, looking out at the street and the passers by before turning back to Tara. "I just want the money so that I can buy whatever I wanted ,what I need and ....... "

"I'm not stupid Buffy ,nor am I naive. " The look Tara gave Buffy ,told that she would not be fooled. Buffy breathed deeply and shifted in her seat .She cast her eyes down to the tablecloth and picked at the loose thread at the hem of it. She glanced up at a relaxed Tara and exhaled loudly. "I'll tell you ,but I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone. "

"You can tell me Buffy ,anything, and it will not go any further, I promise. "

A shiver of fear ran through her as she started to talk. "I'm leaving the home tonight ,Tara, and not going back. "

"Buffy ,I don't think that is a good idea, she said that a couple want to adopt you and...... "

"And what? " Buffy asked "That its supposed to make everything in my life okay? You think that they will replace my parents and erase what I've been through? "

"No, " Tara replied quickly yet in a soft voice that sympathized with Buffy, " but it could give you stability ,a new start .If you run away the police will be involved, the media, your face will be everywhere you go .You will have to go into hiding and you will be constantly looking over your shoulder. Do you want that? "

"No I don't, but we don't have a choice. "

"We? "

Buffy cursed herself internally, "Yes,we.I've met someone, we're in love and we're running away ,together , tonight. "

Tara reached across the table and held Buffy's hand in hers. "Please reconsider Buffy.I know that you don't like the idea of a new family and maybe you think you're in love with this boy, but it's only been a month since your parents were killed, give them a chance. If this boy .... "

"Spike ." Buffy corrected her , "His name's Spike. "

"Spike? Tara frowned. Spike was trouble and she hated the idea of Buffy with him. "Buffy ,Spike has been a thorn in my side on many occassions.I think that you should reconsider going with him. "

"He loves me. "

Tara sighed .It was obvious that Buffy was not going to change her mind or listen to anything else that she said. "He told you that? "

"Yes, and I love him.I know that you think its me projecting ,that you think I need him to fill the void left by the death of my mum and dad ,but that's not how it is . "

"It seems nothing I can say will change your mind. " Buffy looked up at Tara and shook her head.

"No you can't, Spike and I will be going tonight, please don't do anything to stop us.I'll let you know where I am when I'm eighteen" .With that said, Buffy got up from the table and left a fifty dollar bill on the table. Tara slipped her jacket on and followed Buffy out of the veranda .

"What about the couple? "

"The adoptives? I'm sure they'll find a different girl, one that will jump at the chance to have a family again and the chance to leave that hideous place. Hopefully they'll chose a girl that has been in that hellhole for a long time and give her a chance at a normal life. "

Tara smiled sadly .She was worried .They may have a lot of money, but that wouldn't last long. Tara may have made the promise not to say anything ,but she didn't think it was right. Perhaps she should say something after all. "

"I won't lie to you Buffy ,I am considering telling someone.I have a bad feeling about it . It's just not safe for you to be on the streets, whether you have Spike with you or not."

"We'll be fine. We'll buy a car and go somewhere new and ..... "

"Best not to tell me anymore Buffy.I hate lying and I can't do that if my boss asks me questions and I don't know anymore than I do now. "

Buffy nodded and opened the door to the building ,amazed at how fast they seemed to have made it back to the home. Buffy 's face brightened when she saw Spike walk towards her through the foyer. His tongue wet his lip and then he smiled as he reached her. He pulled her against him and closed his eyes as he breathed in the scent of her hair.

Tara watched them and knew that there was nothing that she ,or anyone, could do to stop them. She had to admit that they looked like two halves of the same whole and that they were definitely in love. It shone from them both ,making them glow.

The sound of Tara clearing her throat brought them back out of their 'bubble' and they both stood together, looking at her.

"Well Buffy, Spike, I wish you all best and good luck in your future. This is likely to be the last time that we see each other. Take care and just do me one favor? "

Spike was intrigued and raised a curious brow while Buffy nodded at Tara .

"Keep my card with you and call me if ever you need anything.I'll only be a call away if you need help . " The two women embraced and when they broke away ,Tara turned her attention to Spike. " You hurt her and I will come looking for you ,you have been warned. "

Spike was a little taken back by the threat coming from such a quiet and gentle looking woman, but he didn't doubt the sincerity behind it ."Trust me" , he said as he looked at Buffy and then to Tara, "When I say that I love her ,I mean it and hurting her is the last thing I would do. "

"Good,then I won't have to hunt you down ",Tara winked and straightened out her jacket.

All three smiled and Tara rubbed Buffy's arm and once again said looked once more at the couple as she let the door swing shut behind her and she stepped out into the early afternoon sun.

Buffy turned into Spikes arms and felt all her tension melt away as she relaxed into him. His kiss to the top of her head made her pull away from him. Spike followed Buffy out of the main building and across the field. No words were needed until they were far enough away, so as not to be overheard. Buffy sat down on the grass far enough from the main building for them not to be bothered by anyone. Spike sat behind her and pulled her into his arms, her back against his chest.

"So? " he said ,expecting her to take the lead and carry on the conversation.

"So? "

Spike huffed and his shoulders slumped ,"So, what the bleeding hell did you and Tara chat about? "

"The usual, how I'm doing......If I have friends..... Why I needed the sixty thousand. " Spike visibly tensed.

"So what did you tell her? " He asked

"The truth, that we plan to run away tonight, " she stated matter of factly.

"You .Did .What?!, he yelled as he stood up sharply, letting Buffy lose her balance . His anger boiled, his hands automatically ran through his hair and he started to pace back and forth in front of her.

"I...I'm sorry but she was good to me and she is really sweet.I felt badly about running away and not saying something to her. Tara knew something was going on. She has promised not to say anything and I believe her." Buffy's hands fidgeted in her lap and she bit her bottom lip as she waited for him to say something.

Spike stopped in front of her and sunk to his knees. "You trust her Buffy? " She nodded "Fine,but just don't tell anyone else okay? The least number of people that know ,the even Xander can know ,just in case Elisabeth goes on a rage and tries to get it out of him. " he ran his thumb over her bottom lip where she had bit it and smiled, "have you packed yet? "

"No, everything I had was left in the managed to get a few personal effects, mostly photographs ,but she got me a small rucksack of my clothes.I'll buy new ones once we get to where we are going. "

Deciding that they should spend time with Xander before they leave, they went back into the building to find him. Upon walking into the foyer, Buffy saw the back of a tall man walk into Elisabeth's office, she thought nothing of it and didn't dwell there, instead she followed Spike into the recreational area, where Xander was playing pool.

Back in her office, Elisabeth sat nervously behind her stood over the desk, his fists supporting him as he leaned into her as he spoke. "Elisabeth .... Elisabeth" he shook his head and tutted , "Things are not going according to plan are they? " He didn't wait for he to answer, "You know that I am a very busy man and that I really don't have time to waste on matters such as this. That .... is what I pay you for . Now, I have had to go over your head and involve others, that means more time and more money. It also means more paperwork, All I wanted was that girl, hassle free and within a week. But you couldn't even do that! " His eyes bulged and his face flushed with anger. Elisabeth remained sat behind her desk but she shrank down into her chair as Angel became more teeth ground as he looked down at Elisabeth with disgust. "Why hasn't the girl been processed ,Beth? "

Elisabeth knew that he would be able to tell if she also knew that Angel would hate the truth even more than her poor gripped the desk hard and looked up at the furious man. "I have no excuses Mr. O'Connor, other than the girl isn't ready. She has been through a traumatic time and is still grieving. She has friends and has become friends with a boy here, it isn't going to be that easy now .There are people here that can ask questions and cause problems. "

Angel growled and then pushed himself up and off of her could Elisabeth be so stupid? "That is why I wanted her straight away! No friends ,no ties, who would miss her? Who is the boy that my girl has become involved with? "

Elisabeth saw the flash of possessiveness shoot through his eyes and knew that Angel would probably kill anyone that kept Buffy from him. She was no fool , she knew what Angel was capable of. He scared her, something that was not easy to do.

"Nobody important" , she whispered. "He'll soon forget her once she has gone and anyway, the boys due for his release soon.I'm sure that he will find someone new once he gets a taste of freedom . "

"He better " Angel spat back at her, " See to it that they are kept from one another as much as possible.I don't need him putting his hot ,sweaty adolescent hands on my girl.I need my merchandise clean . "

Elisabeth didn't concern herself with Angels business or what he did with the girls ,but she had some idea. Yet she had never seen him react this way before. How was that short blonde that looked so average, special? She simply nodded at Angel ,internally cringing. She may not be above board with the way she ran the home, but she was not as cold and heartless as the man that stood before her. To hear him call Buffy merchandise was cold. She looked into his eyes and nodded again and felt fear shoot down her spine and radiate through her veins. His eyes were hard, this man had no soul and the heart of a monster, of that Elisabeth was sure. He left her office in a hurry, only somewhat satisfied, and collided with a brunette. He grasped her arms hard in a bid to prevent her from falling.

"Hey watch it big guy ! "

"My apologies"

"Asshole! " Faith hissed as she rubbed her now bruised biceps. "Try opening your eyes and looking where you're going! "

His eyes blazed at the mouthy girl and then he smiled with evil intent. The girl had spunk and she had that dark ,sultry kind of beauty working for her. Her eyes his a spark that he recognized. It was the same spark he had in his . This girl could be a major find . One that would not take much to mould .Tomorrow he would enquire about her, she could very well be his next purchase, one that he knew would make him proud. Why had he not seen her before now?

The bells rang out through the halls of the building announcing to everyone that it was time to retire to their rooms. To Buffy and Spike it signaled that it would soon be the time for them to leave. They kissed briefly ,their eyes spoke of soon. Soon they would meet in the abandoned gym and then they would leave the home behind them. In a hours time, they would begin the rest of their lives, together.

Angel sat in his Mercedes, his phone rang yet again and he picked it up and listened before shouting down the phone ,then closing the offending item. He had been sat in the car for over a hour and now he was angry again due to his incompetent staff. Tomorrow he would remind them that he was the boss and that he would not tolerate their incompetence. He started the car and put it into gear, as he looked over his shoulder to pull out, something caught his eye.

He narrowed his eyes as two figures made their way across the street and stuck to the shadows .Intrigued ,Angel waited until they hurried down the adjacent street and then followed them and recognized the girl. It was his girl, with the boy that Elisabeth must have been talking of ,and it looked as though they were running away. He made a call and arranged for two of his men to meet him close by and cut them off. This could work out brilliantly for him so long as there was no witnesses. Penn could take care of the boy, he was of no concern of his, Luck was on his side, of that he was sure as he saw them turn to start walking through the warehouse district.

As he turned into the next road he saw Penn's car parked up ahead. Penn had Marcus and Pablo with him as well, and that meant that they expected trouble. Angel pulled up behind them and rang them.

"I want the girl in with me, you deal with the boy.I doubt he'll put up much of a fight. When it's done, Penn, you ride with me while Marcus and Pablo take your car back. "

"Yes Sir " Penn hung up and looked out of the car and watched the street from the wing mirror. Buffy and Spike had just turned into the road ,it was time. Angel watched as Penn and Marcus got out of their car and made their way towards Buffy and Spike. Angels eyes now settled on the couple. Elisabeth had obviously lied to him about their relationship. They were more than just friends ,it was more than purely platonic, the boy had his arms wrapped around her and she had her hand on his stomach, Spike kissed her hair and laughed at something she suggested. It was obvious that they had been intimate and were in love. Anger swelled within him .Angel drove around the block and parked in a quiet street and waited. Buffy and Spike came into view and he narrowed his eyes, he sneered as Buffy kissed Spikes cheek and leaned into him further while they walked. It was then that he saw Penn and Marcus walk around the corner a short distance behind them.

Angel felt the exhilaration flow through him and smiled inwardly at soon having the girl to himself. His heart started to race as he watched Penn and Marcus close in on the couple and Buffy turned and noticed them. She clung to Spike and tried to walk faster, feeling her tense and the men behind him, Spike crushed her to his side.

She tried to ignore them but their heavy boots seemed to be getting closer .Buffy felt breath on the back of her neck and turned as the larger one, Marcus, raised a baseball bat above Spikes head. Buffy screamed ,giving Spike enough of a warning so that he managed to duck and swerve out of the way. He pushed Buffy out of harms way and swung a punch at Marcus, catching the goon and sending him down to the tarmac. While Marcus was down, Spike kicked him in the ribs, hearing at least three crack. Spike aimed a kick to his head rendering him unconscious . He wiped the sweat from his brow and then heard Buffy scream again and saw her struggling against Penn. Spike noticed the car that was parked and lit up with the engine running.

Spike ran towards the car and the man that was trying to hustle Buffy towards the car. Angel got out of the car and opened the rear door .He smirked as Penn threw Buffy into the car, sending her sprawling across the rear got in after her and pulled her into his embrace. Not giving up, she clawed and bit her way free of his arms and turned on the seat to look out of the rear screen. Penn now turned his attention to Spike and swung a punch to his jaw, catching him , but not hard enough to affect him, Spike retaliated. Buffy fumbled with the lock and door handle trying to get out so that she could help Spike ,but Angel had a firm grip on her hips and had deployed the child locks, effectively trapping her inside with him.

Buffy glanced out of the rear screen again and saw Spike fall into the road. Her eyes widened and her screams pierced the night. Penn drew his gun out of the waistband of his jeans and aimed it at Spike. Buffy grasped at Angel and tried with all her might to get out of the car, even trying to climb over the front seats. When the shot echoed off the surrounding buildings she stilled in his arms and sank into the car seat.

Angel looked out of the car window and saw the lifeless body laying in the road. Angel smiled and threw Buffy away from him, causing her to hit her head on the car door. She laid there ,too traumatized to fight him .Penn opened the drivers door and got in, tossing the gun onto the passenger seat .He looked back and nodded at Angel. His boss was certainly going to a lot of trouble for just one girl. Sure, she was a pretty piece of ass ,but she was nothing special . He'd give her a go and he knew that he'd get the chance once his boss had finished with the bitch. He looked back at the body lying behind them one last time and pulled the car away and turned out onto the main road , disappearing into the flow of traffic. He could hear the sobs coming from the bosses new bitch and sneered. After a short time he had had enough and turned on the radio to drown out her noise. Marilyn Mansons Tainted Love blasted out of the speakers as they made their way back to Angels mansion, the place that she would now call home.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N:- Thank you so much for the reviews. I realise that this story is very different , but my muse refused to forget it . This chapter deals with forced sex ,I'm sorry if this upsets you and please feel free to skip it as I will give a brief recap in the next .I may hint at her being used to pay off her fathers debt by having sex with Angel and others,this will be the last chapter that I will deal with her being forced in a cruel way. But her life does get better soon! I hope that his does not put you all off of the story and that you continue to read review and let me know that you haven't abandoned me :)Thank you!

Chapter Seven.

The journey to was a blur of street lights and buildings. Buffy sat against the car door, looking out of the window and yet not seeing anything. Her mind shut out everything except one thought that repeated over and over ... 'He was dead... Spike was dead'. She had past into that numb area of grief and nothing penetrated through to her. She felt the car slow and still she stared out of the window. Penn pulled into a gated drive and then sped down it until they reached the mansion.

Penn got out,slamming the car door behind him and then held open the back door for stepped out of the car,pulling Buffy with him and held her to his body. He lead her up the marble steps to the front door that opened as they approached. His household staff rushed to greet him and take any orders he saw fit to hand out . They all acted as though this was normal and ignored the young woman that Angel had with him or any of the things that she mumbled. Now only his butler remained,to which Angel gave specific orders." Get my room ready and run Ms Summers a bath. Set out her nightwear and tell my wife that I do not wish to be disturbed tonight. Inform anyone else that calls that I will be indisposed until tomorrow.I am not to be disturbed under any circumstances,is that clear?"

His butler simply nodded and then silently drifted off to carry out his masters orders.

Noise carried on all around her and yet it sounded so far away and Buffy ignored it. The firm hands that gripped her pushed and pulled her to where they wanted her and she allowed it,allowed them to guide her. Her eyes could still see where she was and yet she seemed blinded to everything around her.A door in front of her opened and she was ushered into the room beyond it. The firm hands left her upper arms and they were now busy removing her clothes. Still Buffy was unresponsive.

"Look how perfect you are baby" he muttered while looking her over, "I knew you would be. This body will soon pay off your fathers debt."

A cool finger ran down her body, from her shoulder it moved to and hovered over her breast,running around her nipple so that it tightened. His thumbnail grazed it and then his touch continued down to her groin,probing her in exploration. He stepped closer and brushed her hair from her shoulder with his free hand. He knew that she would be cold and unresponsive towards him now and so, he pulled away from her and helped her into the bath.

"You still feel so tight down there. Did you let him fuck you ,Buffy?" Her eyes flickered to his but there was no other reaction to his question." He must have been such a disappointment,to fuck you and not stretch to much. If I'm honest ,It means that I will feel you grip me when I take you and make you mine." Angel picked up the sponge and started to wash her back and shoulders. She sat with her legs bent to her chest ,her head resting on her knees making it impossible for him to cleanse her all over. Her mind shut out the sensation of his hands and of the sponge. She shut out the embarrassment of being washed and being naked in front of him too.

The vanilla scent he had added to the water seemed to penetrate through to her now and her stomach revolted against it. Strong hands hauled her out of the oversized bath and placed her on the cold marble floor beside the toilet as her stomach emptied. Once he was sure that she had finished vomiting,Angel wrapped her in soft towels and carried her to his bed. The ivory and gold silk sheets cooled her skin again and Buffy shivered while her teeth chattered. Angel drew back the quilts and then tucked her under them , he then threw the wet towels on the floor and then rang for his butler.

Francis,his butler,appeared not a minute later and entered the room after knocking. "Ms Summers is cold and hungry. Will you fix her some chicken soup and bring in some brandy."

"Yes, else?"

"That will be all,Francis." Angel said and with a wave of his hand,dismissing the butler.

Francis left to carry out his orders. Angel pulled the wet silk shirt away from his skin and sneered at the uncomfortable feeling of it. He unbuttoned it and let it slip to the floor before he did the same with his pants and then climbed into the bed next to Buffy. Still she was unresponsive to him as she laid in the bed just staring at the ceiling. He spooned behind her and waited for his butler to return.

Buffy froze. The chest that was against her back was too big to be Spike. His legs wrapped around hers to stop her kicking out and his arms that were wrapped around her waist,they weren't for comfort,they were holding her to him,her chains. Being this close to him filled her senses. His aftershave,his hair products,they all reminded her of ... oh god ...It was 'him'. How could she have not recognised him before now?He had taken her parents from her so cruelly, had forced himself on her so viciously and he had had Spike killed .Everyone that she had cared about had died at the hands of the man that was lying beside her now. They were dead and it was her fault.

Buffy hadn't noticed that she was crying .She had not felt the sting on her cheeks as the hot ,salty tears streamed from her eyes. She didn't register the warm hand that caressed her back as she cried for the loved ones that her sympathiser had killed .All Buffy felt was the raw pain,the guilt that laid heavy in her gut and conscience and the anger that welled up from every fibre of her being. With each stroke,with each touch that he lay on her skin,Buffy felt the pressure build within herself until she could not stand it any longer and she had to release it.

Her tiny fists hit out at his face,his chest,his arms. Buffy's voice screamed out the names of those she cared about and whose lives had been taken. She yelled and kicked and punched him until she was nothing but a shell of the person she had once been and laid still, a wreck in the arms of the killer that had ruined her once perfect life.

Francis entered the room silently and placed a tray upon a table that stood at the end of the was not shocked to see his master naked in bed with the girl or the state of her. In all his years working for O'Connor ,Francis had seen a lot and never did he cast his views or talk of them again. With a nod towards Angel, Francis made his way out of the room quietly and closed the doors behind him. Angel turned away from her and sat up,reaching across the bed to pull the tray across to them. Buffy used the opportunity to lay on her back and she stared up at the ceiling.

"Sit up and eat something" , he said in a stern voice.

"Not hungry"

"I'll force feed you if I have to"

"I'll eat when I'm hungry. You can't force me to eat.I'll probably choke if you tried it,which would be fine by me."

Angel grit his teeth, "Don't be so dramatic." he barked .He put the tray of soup and sandwiches on Buffy's lap and told her again ,to eat.

"I'm not a child!" she screamed and threw the plate of sandwiches across the room. She picked up the whole tray and threw it the same way as well. The bone china and soup lay broken and spilt across his one of a kind rug. Without hesitation,Angel bought back his hand and struck her hit her hard,her head shot back and connected with the walnut headboard,dazing her.

Hearing the noise, Francis knocked at the bedroom door, "Sir? Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine,leave us..Oh, can you let the housekeeper know that this room will need to be cleaned in the morning."

Francis nodded and headed back to the door." Goodnight sir,and I shall pass on your message first thing." With that said,Francis retired for the night.

Angel watched as the door closed and then pulled Buffy to him by her hair."Listen to me and listen good.I am not a patient man,and I have not gone through this amount of trouble for any of my other girls.I am not going to make an exception for you. You will do what I tell you,when I tell you. If you don't,you will is your life now Buffy,not the white picket fence dream your parents had,not even the dreary home where you found love with that boy,but this here with me. This will be your life now, until I say it isn' it?"

Buffy yelped as his hand fisted in her hair a little tighter,she nodded her understanding and then gasped as he threw her away from him. No more tears could fall. Her eyes stung from the rivers of tears that had already fallen. Now she was as dry and baron as the desert. She was beyond numb now. Nothing felt real and she could not even imagine how her life would change. She had no-one to love and protect her,no-one left alive for her to love,she had nothing left to lose. Whatever he wanted ,whatever he did to her now was acceptable. He had already done the worst thing imaginable and had taken everyone that she loved.

Angel pulled her to him roughly and was pleased when she did not fight him. Angel moved over her and kissed her hard. He forced his tongue past her lips and tried to coax her into a response.

"I'm not going to fuck a sack, Buffy .Either you join in and enjoy it or I'll make it hurt."

She swallowed hard and waited for him to carry on. His kisses were hard and she forced herself to respond to him. Angels hands pulled and crushed, pinched and toyed with her breasts and nipples,making her moan and cry out. He smiled,thinking that it was out of passion and not from pain.

"I'll make it good .You'll soon see what it is like with a real man. Never again will you need the fumbled touch of a boy," he whispered. The voice inside her rebelled against him,against the feeling of his flesh,his hardness against her thigh and the cruel words he used to seduce and control her.

Angel forced himself between her legs and seated himself between her thighs. His fingers probed until he found her entrance and entered her with them. Buffy hissed as he buried them inside her , it made him smile."Oh yeah,you're so tight. You'll be a very popular girl. Men will pay thousands to feel this, to feel how tight you are. Almost virginal."

Buffy tried to scream but her throat was too dry and too tight. Her breaths came in short pants as she realised exactly what his intentions were. Despite her grief and the fact that she was in shock at everything that was and had happened to her,she felt herself get wetter as his fingers worked her pussy. His mouth had slimed it's way down her body and he was now suckling at her soaked core. He held her legs so she could not force him he crawled his way back up her body, Buffy turned her head away. He smiled. The girl was ashamed that she had let go and found release. Hearing her pant and moan had made him happy. Breaking her had been easier than he imagined and he knew that she would allow him to do anything now that she was alone.

His hardness pushed up into her and a lone tear fell as she hissed from the intrusion. Angel saw the tear and licked it from her cheek and laughed,making her close her eyes in a bid to shut him out. His forceful thrusts and his grunts of passion made her stomach want to rebel,and she had to swallow back the bile that rose in her throat.

"I'm going to teach you how to please a man. Laying there like a corpse is not going to get a man off "

Buffy grimaced and held back the sobs. She flinched when his hands gripped her hips hard,his fingers sinking into her flesh enough to bruise and he raised her up to deepen his thrusts. "Wrap your legs around my waist ", he told her .The thought of actively taking part in the act repulsed her, but the image of what he had done to Spike,to her mother and father ,had her doing what he had asked through fear. The satisfied look on his face and the noises he made had Buffy hoping that it would be over soon. She crawled inside of herself and shut down again. Whatever he did to her now,it didn't matter. How could it get any worse?

Angel knew that she was no longer 'with him' and that was fine by him. Tonight was a lesson for the girl. She was a money maker and a way for him to cleanse himself of all the stress. It was also his way of getting her out of his system.

Her tears only aided him and he leaned over her to capture each one on his tongue. The salty tang of her skin excited him further and he increased his thrusts until he fell across her body,satiated. Through gasps and pants he spoke, "Now I've marked you as mine,you remember that. The only men that you will ever sleep with,will be by my say so."

Angel got up and walked into the bathroom. Buffy heard the shower run and silently thanked god that it was over. Her shaky breath calmed a little and she closed her eyes tight as she felt her sorrow come back and hit her again,mixed with disgust and shame. "I'm sorry Spike... so sorry." Buffy curled herself into a ball and cried herself to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Six months had passed since Buffy had been brought to the main house. Now she lived in a large apartment with another that she had shared with before, at the home. It was not long after her abduction that Faith had arrived.

Faiths arrival hadn't stopped Angel from keeping her at his side as she had hoped. Penn was Faiths shadow .Faith had no problems with the lifestyle she now had In fact, the brunette lapped it up like a kitten did cream. The money and designer clothing was more than she had before and so, she was easily bought. Regardless of her ways and the fact that she readily accepted being one of Angels whores, Faith was a good friend to Buffy and they seemed to get on well most of the time. Faith wasn't Buffy's usual choice of companion , but it was not as if she was in a situation where she could be fussy about whom her friends were.

The apartment was comfortable Open and airy with classy furniture. It looked expensive and probably was, not that it impressed Buffy . Her room was large, with tasteful decor and furnishings .A large en suite was equipped with a wet room and bath that could possibly be called a small pool. None of it meant anything to Buffy. It was her 'stage' , the place where she would act out a part when she had to entertain 'guests.' Her script was often the same although the men would change nightly.

Angel called in to see her regularly which still burned. Buffy had hoped that he would stop coming to her and she had long ago realized that he was obsessed. She hoped that would have stopped by now too, but he seemed too far gone to get over it. What was it about her that made him be this way?

Buffy opened the apartment door and kicked it shut. The client from last night had paid for her to be his for twenty four hours and now that it was over, Buffy could not wait to take her usual hot shower and go to bed. She tossed her keys into a bowl that sat on the table just inside the door and walked into the lounge area. Buffy sighed and looked up at the ceiling. The television was still on , tuned to a music channel that blared out heavy based rock, and bottles of alcohol lay about on the table and floor.

Buffy walked over to the couch, picking clothes and rubbish up as she went. Buffy tightened her lips and breathed out heavily. She moved some of the empty cans of beer and bottles off the table and then saw the mirror. The dusty remnants of powder had been scattered across the mirror and onto the table. Buffy shook her head. Now Penn had gotten Faith hooked on god knows what. Enough was enough. Buffy knew there was a chance that Angel would defend Penn and Faith and that he would find some way to make her life hell for a few days because of it. It was not as if his absence would actually hurt the opposite in fact. Buffy looked at the ceiling again before dumping the rubbish she had collected back on the floor and walked into her room, defeated and wondering why she bothered to tidy up behind Faith.

It was her sanctuary when she didn't have a client here . The only room in the flat that Faith's crap had not contaminated. It was bliss , to be able to close the door and feel safe. She was drawn from her thoughts when she heard a light tapping on her bedroom door.

"You got that cute red number? I got a client in a hour ". Faiths husky voice drifted through the door.

Buffy opened her closet and pulled out a small tubular red dress. She opened her bedroom door and thrust it out into the hall without saying a word. as much as she would have liked to bring up the state of the apartment.

"Ta B , what would I do without you, ha? "

"Just get it dry cleaned before you return it . " Even to Buffy , her voice sounded harsh.

" No probs ," Faith replied.

Buffy shut her door and sighed. Shutting her eyes meant she would start thinking again and that lead to the ' what if's ' . What if they hadn't of left the home that night? What if she had said no to Spike and not started their relationship? What if she had died that night, along with her parents? What if her Father had not gambled and taken the drugs that Angel had supplied him with? What if her and Spike had made their escape. Where would they be now?

Her fingers closed over the bridge of her nose ,blinking back the tears that threatened to fall.A glance at her watch had her pushing off the door and towards her closet . Buffy opened the doors and begrudgingly choose her 'costume' for the night. Tonight she had to go to Angel. He had chosen her as his favored girl , this meant that she had to be free and available whenever he requested her. Not only that but she was only to be hired by his highest paying customers. Most of those were his closest friends.

Angel stood in his room beside the fireplace , drinking a brandy in an oversized glass. He placed the glass up on the mantle as Buffy walked into the room, shown in by Francis who made a speedy exit without asking if there was anything else Angel would or could want. Buffy tensed as she heard the doors to the room close.

Her hair was pulled up in a loose chignon , long diamond strands hung from her ears .Her halter neck silk dress showed off her full breasts ,the low cut V showed her cleavage perfectly. Her look was classy , exactly what Angel demanded of her. She walked slowly towards him, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat as she did.

Angel felt himself harden in his dress pants and groaned as her fingers played across his chest and she darted her tongue out to wet her lips. This girl was sinful , she knew just how to work him up.

With a husky voice she asked, " Do I have your approval"? All Angel could do was nod as she lowered the route her fingers were travelling. She let her fingers hover above his belt and then turned to pick up his abandoned brandy and took a sip. Angel watched her as if hypnotized as she licked her lips and closed her eyes, Buffy relished the burn from the brandy as it coursed its way down her throat . She stretched her neck with a dipped her index finger into the crystal glass and then drew it in a line down her throat.

Angel was captivated and watched as her finger glided down her throat and then across his caught her finger between his lips and sucked on it gently until all traces of brandy were gone. He pulled Buffy closer to him and kissed and licked his way down the path of brandy.

"You are sinful Buffy. The way you look, the way you taste , the things you do " , he whispered against her throat and his lips kissed and caressed her. He pulled her body closer to him and raised his head from her neck and crushed his lips to hers Buffy knew what he wanted and gave it to him , albeit begrudgingly. She knew him by now, each moan , every place that excited him and the routine he used ,as if it was choreographed. His was an easy dance to learn.

Angel turned her in his arms and kissed the back of her neck . His hands moved from her waist up to her shoulders. His fingertips played lightly over her skin making her shudder. Buffy felt his breath , hot and light on her neck and swallowed hard as he lowered the zip and her dress fell softly to the floor. Angel backed away to take in the vision she made in front of the fire. She was dressed in nothing but the diamonds, her stockings , lace panties and stiletto shoes . The low lighting and the fire seemed to make her skin glow.

"Hold on to the mantle Buffy " , he whispered , not trusting his lust filled voice to work properly. She complied and looked over her shoulder at him, waiting for his next move. "Part those pretty thighs and give me my view ". Again she did as he asked . Angel dropped to his knees behind her and stroked up her legs slowly. The silk of the stockings made his touch feels like ghostly breath caught in her throat as they moved up and across her thighs. Buffy hung her head back as his fingers gently caressed her feminine lips and let out a small moan and moved her ass back , opening her further to his gaze.

Angel closed his eyes and gripped her hips as he kissed each globe of her ass before letting the tip of his tongue taste her. He moaned deep from his chest and sighed, " You taste so fucking sweet . " Angel let go of her hip with one hand and unclasped his belt before undoing the button and zip .He eased his cock out and pumped it while feasting on her core. His free hand moved to stroke her as he lapped and teased her swollen clit. "Never been so hard for anyone Buffy , not like this, with you ".

"Fuck me Angel , " she hissed , " Make me yours , make me scream your name. " She knew he would take her now, that he would not be able to resist her. Her words were well rehearsed lines , all part of the act that she performed.

Angel stood behind her and entered her hard . It wasn't long after that he was moaning , growling low in his throat as he raced towards completion. Buffys grip on the mantle turned her fingers white with pressure . Buffy hissed and cried out his name , making him believe that she was just as close as he was. She felt him grow harder within her and gripped him , knowing that it would push him further over the edge. He pumped once, twice and then roared his release. His teeth sunk into her shoulder and made her cry out . His lips fluttered wet kisses at her neck "You're so good , this is why you are mine. Men pay me thousands for one night with you " . He stroked a thumb down her cheek and Buffy pulled away ,repulsed. She shuddered ,not able to hide her anguish.

"I'll see that you get something special next week, tonight was great ,babe. Keep it up and your fathers debt will be cleared soon enough . " Buffy snorted . He always said the same thing afterwards. Angel would have some extravagance delivered to her room just as he always did. Buffy still had no clue how much her father actually owed.

"And how much would his debt be ? " Angels eyes had she dared to question him before.

" Why do you want to know? Do you not trust me? "

Buffy hung her head, how could she trust him after all he had done? She was no fool and looked up at him with placid eyes. "I trust you , " she lied , " what or who I don't trust , is my father. I want to know what he did, how much he owed and how many lies he told my Mother and me. As I am the one paying it off ,I think I have the right to know ". Buffy sat on the rug close to Angel and smiled while her finger played across his chest.

So babies curious , he thought. "Get dressed , this isn't information you give while naked ." Angel stood and pulled his pants up without tucking in his shirt or buckling his belt . He kicked off his shoes and walked barefoot to the bar . He poured two brandies. When he returned to the fireplace Buffy was dressed and watching him nervously. " Sit down and get comfortable ,I'll tell you all you want to know, within reason. But I'm warning you, you may wish I hadn't told you when I'm done . "

Buffy tightened her lips and breathed out heavily , " I need to know . "

"Fair enough , " He watched as she held the glass tight within her two hands and waited patiently for him to start telling her the truth . He hesitated , seeing the raw innocence that she still had. It may be dented, dirtied by what he had done to her, but it was still there in her eyes , in her face. This girl had somehow touched a part of him that nobody else had in years. He mentally shrugged and cleared his throat in an effort to rid him of his conscience .

"Hank came to my casino and started gambling hard . At first he could cover his debts. He used to frequent the place once, maybe twice a week but he soon became a nightly visitor. His bets grew larger and I could see a desperate man trying to win back what he had lost to his addiction . It was at this point that he asked for a credit line and I allowed it as he was a well respected business man with a lot of capital . "

Buffy sat still, staring at Angel intently as he continued . " When a man like your father becomes a regular customer, things.... other temptations are offered to took advantage of everything that was offered to him. He knew the price Buffy ,and he just didn't care . "

Buffy frowned but sat and listened without interrupting him. Her tears fell silently.

" Soon the gambling and whores were not enough, he watched her flinch and swallow hard, her tears still falling . "His drug habit was soon out of control and his credit line was too. When I asked him to pay up ,Hank became hysterical and admitted that he simply didn't have the money to pay what was owed . "

Buffy wiped the tears that stained her cheeks and then stared at Angel, wanting to hear the rest of the story that changed her life. Her life had been turned upside down and torn from her by her father and his seedy need for things that were so degrading.

"He tried to pay off some here and there ,but it was nothing but a mere drop in the ocean compared to the amount he owed. He sold a property of his , the one in the Hamptons but it still was not enough . "

" How much? Just tell me, how much did he owe? " Buffy croaked, her voice hoarse from her sobs.

" Three mil . "

"Three million? " She shrieked . Buffy was astounded ,she rose off the bed and began pacing in front of head shook and mumbled to herself, "I'll never be able to pay it all off and be free of you, will I? "

Angel narrowed his eyes at the way she had said it. What more had he expected? Love? Even he doubted he could feel that emotion and he did not think that Buffy would fall for him under the circumstances.

"Eventually. You are highly priced as my favourite. It isn't an impossible goal, Buffy. I deduct fifty thousand for each customer that you see and one hundred thousand every time I come to you . "

"How much do I owe now? "

" Two "

Buffy sat next to Angel again and looked down into her lap where her hands toyed with the glass of brandy. She lifted it to her lips and drank it down in one. "You don't intend to let me go though, do you? You said that I am your favorite, I doubt you will let me go even if I do manage to pay of the debt . "

Angel smiled , "You're astute. I am a greedy man and no, I do not let go of something I treasure highly. Is it really that bad being here? "

Buffy closed her eyes and swallowed hard, making the burn from the brandy sharper. Her eyes watered. In truth, it wasn't terrible now that the beatings had stopped and Angel seemed to be calmer around her now. But knowing he had killed her mother who was the sweetest person she had known, and Spike who had shown her unconditional love , it was tainted. Worse still was knowing that she was there doing what she had to because of her father and his love of whores, drugs and gambling. In the beginning Angel had been hard , cruel and punished her constantly until she had become the best he had. She became a whore , just like the women her father had used. Bile rose in her throat and Buffy ran to the bathroom.

When Buffy had been elevated to his favored girl, he had moved her from the room at the mansion into the apartment she now shared with Faith . Of course this had pissed Darla off and Buffy had to deal with the vicious bitch and her attacks. Darla had been missing for a while and Buffy could not help but wonder where she was. Margarita, the mansions head maid had said that Darla had decided to go to France and stay at their villa there. "And good riddance , " Margarita had spat. "The woman was cruel and black hearted . Darla had been the one to get the master involved in all this sin. Angel was always a good boy ,weak willed and easily lead though , he was . " Margarita held Buffys face in her hands , "You have banished the darkness from his life now. You are his sun and you brighten his life. Thaw his heart ,Buffy . "

Buffy wiped a cool wet towel across her face as she looked into the bathroom mirror. Remembering what Margarita had said made her feel cold and icy. How could she be someones sun and thaw them when she was empty and cold inside? She hated herself but she hated Angel more. "Pull yourself together Buffy " she told her reflection "You'll find a way out of this and get away from him. You have to ! " she whispered. Buffy dried her face and took several calming breaths before she straightened her dress out and slowly opened the bathroom door.

Angel stood and smiled shyly , " I was just coming to check on you and make sure you are alright . "

"I'm fine , guess the brandy didn't like me as much as I like it . "

" I guess not ."

Angel walked to her and took her hand in his, leading her to the bed. He unzipped her dress again and this time asked her to remove all her clothes. Buffy complied ."Lay on the bed . " She did as he asked and watched as he undressed and crawled up the bed and laid beside her. He drew the covers up over them both and settled himself before pulling her into his arms.

"I just want to lie here awhile, with you. "

Buffy closed her eyes tight and felt more tension settle in her shoulders . She was just grateful that he had spooned behind her so that she didn't have to look at him as he laid there. They lay in silence for what seemed like forever before he finally spoke again. "I know you think I'm a monster, but that isn't all I am. If you give me a chance to show you, if you keep on my good side, I will treat you like a queen, Buffy . "

" And what about your wife ? " Buffy shot back angrily.

Angel stiffened . "That's no concern of yours and the last time you ever bring her up. Understand ? "

Buffy nodded , not content with her answer he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled ,bringing her face round so that he could see it. "Understand , " he growled .

"Yes! ... Yes! I understand . "

"Better . " He threw her head away from him and rolled onto his back, covering his eyes with his arm. Anger grew inside him and he couldn't lay there with her now. He got out of bed and hurriedly put his pants on, slipping his feet into his shoes as he fixed his belt. He shrugged on the now creased shirt and turned to her, his chest still uncovered.

"You had to ruin a perfect evening by bringing her up. Now I'm tense .I should punish you but I can't stand the sight of you now . "

Buffy laid there watching him, panicked at the mention of him punishing her. He smirked when fear flashed in her eyes. He leaned over her and forced her back down onto the bed , He growled at her and spun himself off the bed and left the room , slamming the door behind him. She lay still waiting for her breathing to even out before getting up and going back into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, setting it as hot as she could stand. The scalding hot water erased the memory of his touch from her skin and she scrubbed hard with the soap to mask his scent from her body.

She stood under the running water until it turned tepid. Her mind ran over everything that he had told her tonight. Was he really so bad? She was sure he was , but not the only one. Her father was as much to blame as Angel. Possibly more so, after all ,it was her fathers greed and addictions that had led Angel to do what he had done. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself up in her bathrobe .Buffy went to her linen closet and pulled out a change of opened the bathroom door and walked to the was numb now and changed the bedding before falling into the bed.

She had to find a way out , and soon.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N :- I want to thank you all for the reviews . They have all helped keep me going on this story and I have a couple of chapters ready to post, so expect another one this week, possibly Friday :)

Please keep the reviews coming as I love to read all your points of views.

Revenge is sweet....

Chapter Nine.

Two Years Later.

Buffy returned to the mansion after her latest job. Angel met her half way up the marble staircase and wrapped his hand around her arm , halting her progress.

"You didn't come to me last night . " His eyes were cold and his lips were stiff with anger . His grip just a little painful, but enough to be threatening .

"I was busy . You can blame Faith for that , she booked the client and he specifically asked for me . "

"Faith? " Angel frowned as if it was hard for him to comprehend her doing such a thing. She rolled her eyes. Faith was starting to be manipulative, for what purpose , shehad no idea. "She knows that I come before any of our would she do that? "

Buffy shrugged, shaking his hand from her arm and continued up to her room. Eight months ago a client had been a little too rough with Buffy and had beaten her, badly. Angel insisted that she move back into the mansion. She hadn't hesitated and now she had her own suite of rooms. Buffy wasn't naive, she knew that Angel had ulterior motives when he suggested it but the beating had shaken her up enough not to care.

Once she was in her rooms, Buffy threw her jacket and bag onto a chaise and went straight in to the bathroom. After her ritualistic shower , Buffy sat on her bed, wrapped in the damp towels and pulled her bag towards her. She opened it up and pulled from it a list of phone numbers and then a new mobile phone. With shaking hands she dialed the first number. Buffy blew out a nervous breath as the first dialing tone came through the speaker by her ear.

"Morgan , Summers and McDonald. " The voice at the other end said.

"Hello, I was calling on behalf of .... " Buffy glanced again at the name on the list and continued .... " Mrs. Harper. I was wondering if you could schedule an appointment with Mr. McDonald? "

" Please hold while I check for you . Is there a particular day that would suit you? " The secretary asked.

" As soon as possible, please. It is kind of an emergency. "

Buffy heard her tap away at her keyboard and then a beep , "You're in luck Mrs. Harper, it seems Mr. McDonald has an opening you make an eleven o'clock? "

"That's fine, thank you. "

"Goodbye. "

Buffy closed her phone and bit her lip as nerves took hold again. She had taken the first step towards gaining her freedom again. Tomorrow. Buffy would put in motion her plan to bring Angel down. Now for the next part...

The next call was to Tara . She was not one hundred per cent sure if it was the same Tara McClay, but she had a number after months of searching behind Angels back. Buffy dialed the number and closed her eyes as she internally prayed that this was her old social worker.

""Tara here. " The voice was as she remembered it and Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tara? It's Buffy ,Buffy Summers. I don't expect you to remember me ..... "

"Of course I remember you! Oh my! Where have you been? Are you okay? "

"I don't have time, Tara . I'm sorry. The night Spike and I ran away I was kidnapped by the man that murdered my parents and I need your help. "

"Oh gods ,Buffy, are you still being held captive? Where's Spike? "

"Spikes dead, " Buffy breathed in deep and let out a slow rattling breath. Even now it still hurt. Buffy closed her eyes tight to stave off the images that flooded her mind and sighed. " They shot him.I'll tell you more soon but I need your help. Can you help me? "

"What do you need me to do? " She asked without hesitation.

" Find Elisabeth. Angel was paying her to fast track girls through the system for him. Once he has them, he forces them in to prostitution. We need her to testify against him Tara.I'm taking him down. "

" Oh god! Is that what he has had you do? Is that why he wanted you? "

" No... and yes. Look, it's a long story, one I will tell you soon.I just need you to find her and get her to admit everything. It will mean taking it easy , not being up front with her, just in case she still works for him. Angel used to pay her a lot of money. It's not something she would have let go too easily. I want you to pull up records of all the girls she re-homed and investigate them. Start with Faith Lahane, she was one of the girls that arrived after me. "

"I'll do what I can Buffy. "

" Great.I'll call you when I can. This number cannot be used to take calls. If he finds out I have this phone, he'll kill me. "

"You have my word. " Tara said with a little more fear in her voice. Fear for Buffy or for what she was getting mixed up in, Who knew . But she was wise to be scared.

"Thank you ,Tara. "

"Bye Buffy, stay safe. "

Buffy hung up and sighed. So far ,so good. Now it was a case of calling the private detective. A noise outside her bedroom door made her panic and she haphazardly picked everything up and put it in her bedside drawer. No sooner had she done that, Angel walked in to her bedroom. Feeling uncomfortable, Buffy clutched the towel to her body.

"I told Faith to cancel your appointment for tonight . "

He came close and traced the path of a stray droplet of water as it ran down to her breast. "I think this is my favorite look on you. You look almost as innocent as you did the first time I saw you. How innocent you were then, but not anymore." He walked around her to stop behind her. "Darla will be coming home again next week, so I won't be able to see as much of you as I would like. Will you miss me like I'll miss you? " He whispered to her as he kissed her shoulder.

"Yes, " she lied , "Of course I will. " He smiled at her, happy with her response. "You know I will. "

"I bought you a gift, to apologize for my absence in advance. I intend to pay as much attention to you as I can until she now. "

Angel kissed her deeply and then drew handed her a velvet box and watched as she opened face lit up as her eyes feasted on a large single diamond that hung from a fine chain. "It's .... beautiful. Thank you. "

"It pales in comparison to you , Buffy . "

She turned so that Angel could put it on her. She rolled her eyes at the sentiments that he spoke into her ear as he did. He kissed her neck and enclosed his arms around her. He held her hands away from the front of the towel, leaving it to fall to the floor. He turned her to face him and pulled her slowly back to her bed.

Faith pulled up outside the mansion and slammed the car door. She rushed through the front door, not waiting to close it .She ran up the large marble staircase and didn't stop until she was outside Buffy's room. Faith walked in , a force of anger and fury. She froze at the vision before her.

Angel laid across the bed, his shirt open showing his broad 's pale pink nails scraped down to his abdomen and he gaze followed up Buffy's arms , taking in the firm breasts that shook with every movement as the bodies in front of her thrust together. Finally her eyes met with hazel ones that closed as Angel rubbed at her swollen nub.

Without pause and without taking his eyes from the goddess that was riding him, Angel spoke.

"Are you going to just stand there and stare or are you will you close the god damn door so the whole house doesn't see us? "

Faith slammed the door and took a few steps towards the bed.

"What is so important that you interrupt us? "Angels voice was breathy yet still stern.

"Maria was found dead in an alley a hour police are holding a suspect. Its Norm. "

Both Buffy and Angel stopped their movements and he raised himself up on his elbows. Buffy moved to disengage herself but his hand shot to her thigh and stopped her. His cock twitched inside her and caused her to swallow hard. Buffy watched him for his reaction to Faiths news.

"Maria was one of my best, damn! " Angel closed his eyes and thought about something for a short time before he turned back to Faith. "Have the police found anything that can link her to me? "

"No boss, I think they would be here by now if they had. Only loose canon you have, is Norm. "

Angel nodded and slid Buffy off of his lap. Buffy rose from the bed to get herself a robe but found that Angel had caught her wrist and then he pulled her back to the bed. He forced her onto all fours, facing Faith, and entered her from behind. " Get Penn to deal with him should he make bail. Tell him to be careful and not to leave any evidence behind. Last thing we need is the police tracing him back to us. "

Still Faith watched as Angel moved behind Buffy with slow and gentle thrusts. Sick of her being there, Buffy huffed out, "Haven't you got somewhere else to be? "

Faiths brows rose as she looked over her head straight at Angel. He slapped Buffy's ass and laughed , " put your claws away, she can watch and maybe even join us. What do you say? " Buffy shot Faith a look and got up from the wrapped a discarded sheet around herself as she got off the bed and walked away turning to say to Angel , "You want to fuck her, do it in her room but I will not be joining you! "

Angel set his jaw tight and grabbed a handful of Buffy's hair , pulling her against his chest. "If I say she's joining us, she will. " He paused and let her go, pushing her away and causing Buffy to stumble on the sheet and fall to the floor, where she looked up at them. "I seem to have lost my passion for you now anyway. "

Faith smirked as Angel walked to her and took her into his dropped a kiss to the brunettes hair and then shook his head . "Just because you're my favorite it doesn't mean that I will tolerate that kind of behavior. "

All Buffy could do was sit on the floor and watch as a naked Angel and a smug Faith left her room. When her door closed she got up and locked her door .She smiled, glad that she would not have to wake next to him in the morning. Buffy remade her bed with fresh linens and picked up the gift that Angel had given opened her armoire and put the velvet box on the growing pile that already sat on a shelf in closed the door again and walked into her bathroom, desperate to remove the traces of him from her body .

After a restless night Buffy woke up with a headache and felt like crap.A quick look at her clock showed that she had a hour to get herself ready for her meeting with Lindsay. Nerves hindered her appetite and so Buffy left the mansion with plenty of time to make it. The drive into town was hot and slow, which only added to her already tattered nerves. Buffy finally breathed her relief when she stood at the reception desk. Her fathers portrait still hung behind the reception desk, only now it had his birth and death date on a brass plaque along with ' Founder of Summers , McDonald and Morgan.'If everything went according to plan, Buffy would soon be in charge and would have it removed. The last thing she wanted was to have to look at the smug look on her fathers face as soon as she walked into the offices every morning. Not after everything that he had done and had caused to happen to her. A voice bought her back to the present and Buffy looked down at the woman sat behind the desk as she asked, "Can I help you? "

"Eleven o'clock for Mr. McDonald. "

After typing into her computer the receptionist looked up and smiled , "Of course, Mrs. Harper, follow the hall and Mr. McDonalds office is the second to your left. "

"Thank you , " Buffy said with a smile and then picked up the briefcase that she with her. She walked the route given to her and knocked on the wiped her nervously wet palms on the skirt before entering. Lindsay sat behind an oversized desk and shuffled some files without looking up at Buffy. "Please take a seat, " he offered, still busy sorting his desk.

Buffy was not impressed. This was not the impression that she wanted for her law firm. She took a mental note to make sure this stopped once she was in control of the firm.

"Mr McDonald? " He looked up at Buffy briefly , " I am not paying you to re-organize your desk. "

"Sorry Mrs. Harper, now tell me, why are you here? " Lindsay finally looked up at Buffy as he sat back in his oversized chair and relaxed. He frowned as recollection dawned on him. "You're very familiar Mrs. Harper, have we met before? "

"You could say that. You knew my father well and even attended his birthday parties. "

" Buffy? " He leaned forward and looked closer , shocked that she was there. "Jesus! " he cried "Where have you been? Last reports we had said that you had run away with a boy . "

Buffy smiled but kept an even, business like tone to her voice. "I did run away ,but something worse happened. That is why I am here, Lindsay. I need your help. "

" Name it . I'll do all I can to help. It's the least I can do for you. " He lost his smile although his eyes were still friendly, "Will you be taking over the firm now that you are back? "

Buffy laughed, "Is that what worries you? That I'll sit on my fathers throne and take over his empire? "

Lindsay shook his head. He looked sincerely into her eyes, "No , in fact I'm hoping you will be. If you're not here for that then why don't you tell me why you need my help. "

Buffy shifted in her seat and took the deep breath she needed to tell her story. " After my parents were killed I was put in the care facility.I met the boy I ran away with. That night the man that murdered my parents kidnapped me and killed the boy , they shot him . " Buffy's voice broke and she took a minute to collect herself before carrying on. " For the passed four years he has used me as his whore and have suffered from abuse by his hand. I have his trust now and I'm finally in a position to see that justice is done. I have evidence regarding his businesses that are not strictly legal and I have friends gathering more. I have details of his businesses and his dealings and I have a recorded confession. He admitted.. well more taunted me with the fact that he killed my parents and I recorded it. "

Lindsay was listened intently and when Buffy had told him everything , he was impressed . " That's great, but we will have to get the case won't be hard to do if you can get the evidence you say that you can. "

"I can. "

"That will help, but the confession is a fifty-fifty, unless you can get witnesses as well , that can say that they were there and heard him confess. Unfortunately the tape as it is ,is inadmissible in court. He could easily say that he was coerced into admitting it. "

Buffy sighed. The chances of him admitting it to anyone else, were slim. "I have put up with hands on me... with him fucking me and hiring me out to the highest payer for four years. I am not about to let him get away with it on a technicality! He killed my mum and my dad in front of me. He searched the system for me and when I ran away with the man I loved, he shot him in front of me too and then kidnapped me. Now I will do anything ... Anything to get that bastard and see him rot in jail for it! " Her breathing was fast and deep as her anger bled through her veins. Buffy didn't even feel the hot scalding tears as they fell. Anger radiated off her. So much so that Lindsay knew he would help as much as he could. It was the least he could do. Hank had given him the chance years ago when he was still studying at college and needed the break.

"I'll see that you do Buffy, we'll put him away , you have my word. "

"Thank you , " she replied, "I only have one question Lindsay, and I expect a honest answer. "

"Ask me anything. "

"Do you or anyone here at the firm have any dealings with or represent Angel O'Connor or his wife Darla? "

"I don't , no. As far as I am aware, nor do any of the partners or colleagues here. "

Buffy simply looked at held his eye contact and seemed secure in the fact that he was being honest with her. "Good.I have an idea , one you may or may not like. "

His attention peaked and he sat forward in his chair, his elbows on the table. "And that would be? "

"Are you married? "

"To my job, yes, to a woman , no. What are you thinking Buffy? "

"How would you like to become a regular customer of mine? " She smiled at him, the look on his face was truly priceless. "I live in his mansion and work from there so he can keep an eye on me. Call him there and arrange for my Angel asks why me, tell him that you know Eric Morris and he gave you Angels card. Drop it to him that Eric spoke of me and that he informed you that I was the best. Don't worry, Eric won't say anything should Angel ask. The poor man is forgetful and is easily confused and will cover for us. "

"Okay, but what if Angel refuses to let me see you? "

"I'm sure the substantial amount of fifty thousand dollars will ensure his co-operation. It shouldn't be hard for you to get that amount from the firms kitty. "

Lindsay was shocked at how much she was willing to spend on tonights arrangements. "Are you sure you are going to be safe if we do this? This man is dangerous ,Buffy. I'm not sure that I like the idea of you doing it. "

"I have been living with Angels threats for four years and he hasn't done anything .... well not much. So long as he thinks I am entertaining you, we should be fine. See you later. "

Lindsay couldn't believe that she was going through with it, let alone that he was considering it. The look on her face was all it took to make him nod her way and sigh , "Okay,I'll do it .I'll make the call and make the appointment once you have , Buffy? "

"Yes? "

"It's good to see you again. "

"It feels good to be back. I best get back before Angel gets suspicious. "

Angel stormed into her room a hour after she returned to the mansion and slammed her door behind him.

"Where the fuck were you this afternoon? " He stood just inside the door, anger flared from him, his fists gripped tight and his eyes dark with his fury.

"Doctors, we have to have check ups so your clients are happy. " Buffy thrust a document into his chest as she spoke. Angel looked at the print out , satisfied with her reason for being out of his sight for so long.

"Are you sore? "

"No. The doctor was gentle. Why? " She didn't need him to tell her why , she knew that Lindsay had made the call.

"New client, a high payer, asked for you .He said that another client of yours recommended you. He has paid handsomely so I suggest you give him your best. I won't have a man leave in the morning with a hard cock and an empty wallet, you get me? "

"Don't worry Angel, he'll get the full Buffy Summers special. Is there anything else? "

Angel watched as Buffy turned her back on him and walked towards the bathroom , dropping her robe as she did. He cursed the fact that she had a client that night as his cock twitched in his pants. "No ... Just do me proud Buff. " He left as she raised a brow "Oh you'll be proud of how much I have learned from you.I promise, " she whispered as she stepped into the running shower.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Lindsay drove up to the gates and announced his arrival to the speaker system, then waited as the gates swung open. He put the car back in gear and drove down the driveway and up to the front steps. He got out and raised his sunglasses from his eyes, whistling at the imposing impression the mansion made. A valet stood waiting and so Lindsay threw the keys at him without saying a word. The doorman opened the front door for him and when Lindsay gave his name, false of course, the doorman sent him to Angels office.

Without knocking Lindsay walked in. Angel stood from behind his desk and offered his hand out to shake. Lindsay ignored it and immediately sat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk to Angel, ignoring the narrowed and hardened eyes that now stared at him. Lindsay bent at the waist and bought the briefcase into view before putting it onto the desk in front of him.

"Straight down to business.I like that, " Angel said. "Brandy? "

"No. Thanks all the same.I wouldn't want anything to ruin tonight. Not after paying a substantial amount for it. "

"Quite. " Angel answered.

" As I said on the phone, I'll pay you fifty thousand for your best girl for a full night. If I am satisfied I will do business with you on a regular basis. If not, then I shall take that business elsewhere. "

Angel bristled at the arrogant and outspoken man that sat in front of him, but swallowed down his temper, for now anyway. In a friendly voice he answered Lindsay, "I assure you Mr Morcombe my girls are the best. The one that be your company tonight happens to be the best of the best. I have never known a client come away from Buffy unsatisfied and all of them return. "

Lindsay frowned, feigning his amusement as he asked, "Buffy? That is an unusual name. "

"Her unusual name makes her unique and she is certainly that. She is truly one of a kind. " She certainly is Lindsay thought. "We have a few things that I ask all of our new clients. Just standard practice here. I'm sure you understand, " Angel smiled, trying to reassure Lindsay. It didn't work. "Firstly, I have my girls here checked and always show the doctors certificate to prove that they are clean. "

He handed Lindsay Buffy's sheet which Lindsay glanced at nonchalantly before handing it back. "Look Mr. O'Connor, this is all very well, I'm impressed so far, but all of this is taking up my valuable time. Time I could be using to have a little fun with ... Buffy. I'm not paying fifty grand to sit in your stuffy office and look at what I guess is your wives photograph. "

Angels eyes narrowed again and his jaw set firm. His face softened though when Lindsay opened the briefcase and spun it around to face Angel. "Of course not, Mr. Morcombe. Let me show you to Buffy's room. " Angel stepped around the desk and escorted Lindsay out of his office and up the marble staircase and along the hall to Buffy's room. Once they were outside her doors, Angel held out his hand again and shook Lindsay's, "I hope that you enjoy your evening. " Angel knocked loudly on the double doors.

Buffy heard Angel coming and panic gripped her, her hands grew wet and her heart rate rose. When Angel knocked , Buffy blew a stray strand of hair from her face and dried her hands on her red silk robe. She opened the door and then stood aside , allowing the men to enter. Angel stood beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Lindsay walked to the center of the room and took a good look around, before turning back to Buffy and Angel.

" All we ask our clients is that they respect my girls and while we have no rules as such, we do ask that you do not mark them in any way. If I find that you have hurt her or marked her, then we have the right to charge more as the girl won't be able to work until she has healed. Is that clear? " Angel said.

Lindsay nodded.

"Show Mr. Morcombe what his money is buying for the night. " Slowly Buffy pulled the tie on the robe she wore and slid the red silk off her shoulders, letting it drop and pool around her feet. Confidently Buffy turned to give Lindsay the full view of her body. Her red silk and lace camisole showed her breasts and curves off and the matching panties left nothing to the imagination. Both Angel and Lindsay were instantly hard.

"Well, I shall leave you both . Have a good night, " Angel smiled and left the room in search of Faith. He needed a hard fuck now that he had seen 'his girl' in that barely there set.

Lindsay cleared his throat and moved towards Buffy, unsure of what to do or what was going to happen now.

"I'm sorry about that. Angel does like his clients to view us before he leaves the room, he likes to know that you like your choice. He's big on ceremony. " Buffy glanced down at his visible problem, "Would you like me to take care of that for you? "

"If you could just put on the robe, I'll be fine, " he swallowed hard as Buffy bent to retrieve said robe from the floor, giving him a view of her ass. He almost changed his mind.

"It's best that you get undressed and get under the covers, " at his confused look she continued, " In case Angel comes back. "

"Is he likely to? " Lindsay asked

"Angel has men that patrol the halls .If they hear any noise , or nothing at all, he might. "

Again Lindsay swallowed hard. He was still in a state of arousal and the thought of getting into bed, naked with Buffy only made it worse. Buffy smiled sweetly , understanding his embarrassment at his predicament. Still, Lindsay removed his clothes until he was sat on the edge of the bed in nothing but his boxer shorts. His erection strained against the material and he tried to lean forward and cover it with his arms in his lap. It was obvious he was way outside his comfort zone. Buffy felt bad for putting him in this situation, for dragging him into her world.

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? "

"No, " he answered huskily.

"Do you have a girlfriend? "

"No. Business is busy and rarely leaves me with time to have a social life. "

"So.. when was the last time you had sex? "

Lindsay closed his eyes briefly before opening them and telling her that it had been a while. Buffy walked to the bed and stood in front of him, her legs between his. Her hand cupped his cheek while the other ran through his thick brown hair. " Anything that happens between us in this room will remain that way, between us. " Lindsay leaned into her touch and rubbed his cheek against the silk of her top that covered her soft stomach. It was intimate and it was something that Lindsay had been starved of for so long. One of his hands slipped around her hip and ran up her back to hold her against him while the other took a slow path up her thigh.

Her skin reacted and goose flesh rose in the wake of his fingers. Her eyes closed and her head fell back as his fingers grazed against her pussy before joining his other hand at her back and disappeared under her chemise. Her hands clutched at his shoulders as she felt his cool lips leave open mouthed kisses to her stomach and hips, his hands were now running along the top edge of her lace panties, eager to pull them off. Buffy stepped out of them as they fell to her ankles.

"I can't believe we are going to do this Buffy, are you sure? " Lindsay looked up at her and their eyes met. "I don't want to take advantage of you like this. "

"You won't be, trust me. "

Lindsay nodded and pulled her down to his lap, her legs either side of his and kissed her slowly. When Buffy pulled away she whispered to him, asking him to take off his remaining item of clothing and to sit at the top of the did. Buffy crawled her way up the bed and kneeled between his thighs. It was now that she took the chemise off and leaned forward to capture his lips. Her hand cupped his balls and then gripped his cock tightly, slowly stroking him. Lindsay moaned as Buffy quickened her ministrations and kissed up his chest. Once she was at eye level with him she positioned him at her entrance and sunk down, taking in every inch of his cock. He wasn't small and while she hated comparisons , she couldn't help noticing that he filled her more than Angel. It felt good.

Lindsay sat up and wrapped his arms around her, kissed her neck and chest as he met her movements with his own, forcing her down harder as he neared climax. Her internal muscles grew tight around his cock and Buffy cried out her release, pulling Lindsay over with her.

Faith rose off of Angel and slumped beside reached for her cigarettes and lit one, blowing out hard. "So Blondies doing a newbie? What is he like? "

"Early thirties, Texan, Rich and average married to the prom queen of his dreams and has a ranch all set up ready for his early retirement. "

"Someone's bitter. It's not good to get bent over someone fucking her when you have just fucked me. "

Angel laughed, "Listen Faith, the only time I fuck you is when 'Blondie' as you call her, has got me hard and she's not available. "

Faith fumed and got out of the bed, she pulled on her top and shorts , turning back to face Angel again, "Get out and don't come back! "

Angel got up from the bed ,still laughing at her outburst and shrugged on his shirt. "You know why you're not as good as her? It's because she isn't in it for herself and she's not a cold bitch. " He left her room and passed Buffy's on his way to his office. He heard the string of curses and moans that left the mans mouth and smiled. His girl was worth all the trouble he went through to get her. As Angel walked away, he heard Lindsay cry out as he came.

Alex Morgan packed away his files and switched off his desk lamp before leaving his office. He just had one more stop to make before he headed home. He entered Lindsay's office , surprised to see him not there, and dropped the case file onto his desk. His eyes fell on the note pad that was left beside the phone. Seeing the name written there stirred up a recollection , Buffy .... where had he seen or heard of a Buffy before? Shrugging , Alex left the office and made his way to his car. He glanced at the clock on his dashboard and decided to join his friends for a drink at the local bar. He knew that they would still be there , it being their nightly ritual after work.

He walked into the bar and saw them at the usual large table at the back of the bar, near the poll tables. He made his way to them, on seeing him enter, most of his colleagues raised their glasses and cheered. Another pitcher of beer arrived at the table and Alex poured himself a glass.

"Late tonight aren't you? What's up? That bitch you work for give you a decent case for once? " John asked. John was a freelance detective that often worked on cases for Summers, Morgan and McDonald.

"No, just the usual shit , but it pays . And that bitch is my mother. "

"You still admit she's a bitch though? " John replied , causing them all to laugh, including Alex.

Alex sat on a chair that he had pulled over from another table and raised his glass , "To the bitch. " Causing more laughter. Conversation soon settled down , most discussing cases between themselves and Alex joined in here and there. When Paul, another lawyer asked where Lindsay was, Alex said he thought he had a date .

"You mean he's cheating on his hand with an actual girl? " John joked.

"Not sure but he had a girls name and a time written on his jotter, saw it myself. "

"You sure it's not a client? " William asked.

"Nah, he writes those in his diary. "

William swallowed the last of his beer, then asked, "So what's the birds name? "

"Buffy. "

William froze, his drink caught in the air between the table and his lips. He swallowed hard and almost dropped his beer. Conversations around the table died off as everyone watched William . He put his beer down on the table and went to the gents toilet.

"If that was some sort of prank then it was in bad taste, " John snapped.

"It wasn't.I forgot about him, okay! I saw the name ,I knew it was familiar, just not why until now. "

John patted Alex's shoulder. " You best go and see if he's okay and tell him what you told us. " Alex nodded and went into the was leaning on the sink counter , his face wet from being doused in cold water.

"Just give me a moment.... "

"I'm sorry. I didn't think. I knew the name rang some bells , just not why. "

"So, it's not just you being an insensitive wanker then? "

"No, Lindsay's definitely meeting a girl called Buffy. "

William gripped the counter harder, "Can't be her, can it? He'd have killed her like he did her parents. "

"I don't know.I wish I did. Why don't you come back and have another beer? "

"Yeah ... in a minute "

"Okay, well I'm going back, just don't be too long. "

William nodded but stared into the mirror. He heard the door squeak shut and then he let out a deep sigh. He knew it was her, deep down inside of him something told him it was _'his'_ Buffy. He knew. Tomorrow , he would ask Lindsay for the truth. Visions of his past flashed through his memory....

_' He woke to a bright light hurting his eyes until he tried to raise his arm to cover them. The constant beeping from his right was already annoying him. With blurred sight , he looked around , taking note of the IV's and bandages on his arms and chest. He tried to push himself up and hissed at the pain that shot through his back and shoulder. That pain bought back the memory..... He'd been shot. _

_"Buffy! " he yelled as he struggled to get up and then out of bed. The alarm on the IV monitor went off and a nurse came running in. _

_"Please sir, will you calm down and get back into bed. " _

_"Can't have to find Buffy. She's out there and he got her, oh god... you have to tell the police! " _

_The nurse pressed the call button and hoped that she could stop him from leaving before help came. She was in luck and after a brief struggle, they sedated Spike and got him back into his bed. Even in his sleep he cried out for Buffy and sobbed for her. _

_Once he was released from hospital, Spike had nowhere to go. He found a nice apartment and paid for it with the money that he and Buffy had gotten for their escape. He had enough to pay his way through law school. When he finally graduated, he applied to Summers, Morgan and McDonald , knowing that Buffy's father was or had been the senior partner/ founder of the company. In a small way, Spike felt close to her . He took cases similar to theirs and helped people who had suffered the way she had. ' _

Now he was in the gents , in a bar , in front of a mirror and having some kind of 'episode' because there was a chance that Buffy was still alive. Questions bombarded his already overwhelmed mind and he broke down. Spike splashed his face with some more cold water and dried his face before returning back to the table. He made his apologies to the group who stared at him, waiting for his reaction , grabbed his coat and car keys and left.

His drive home was silent, his usual loud music was turned off as he drove across town.

If his Buffy was alive, he would find her.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N :- I can't believe that I have written two chapters in a day! I also have the start of another one which I plan to post on Monday! This story is really flowing at the moment and I just hope it continues that way. Thank you to everyone for the great reviews, they have helped me so much!! Things are getting heated now.... :)

Chapter Eleven.

Buffy stepped out of the shower and walked across the room. Lindsay looked up from the pile of papers long enough to smile before he turned the page over and bit his lower lip. She sat on the bed and leaned over his shoulder to see what had him so deep in thought.

"How on earth did you get copies of these? "

"He's a very heavy sleeper and not so smart. Angel left files on his desk , when we would .... Anyway, he would fall asleep , I'd copy them, wasn't so hard. "

"These could put him in jail for a very long time, but nothing here incriminates him for the murder of your parents or Spike. "

"Just the tape which, as you say, I could have coerced him into admitting. "

"Exactly, but it is a start. " Lindsay kissed her cheek and returned his attention to the files. "Once the detectives see these files and investigate them, if any of the clients turn up dead then there is hope that your tape will be admitted as evidence against him as well. "

"A lot of if's and maybe's. " Buffy said

" That's always the way, " Lindsay turned to her and took her hands in his before he carried on. This was the part he was dreading. The part that could hurt her. " Buffy, we also have to take into consideration that you work for him. Defense could and probably will , put you on the stand and tear your character apart in a bid to have your evidence dismissed. They will try and make it seem like petty revenge and could ask for his sentence to be reduced. We need as much as we can get before we go to the police. "

"I'm his whore so I'm not trustworthy, I get it. " Buffy said sadly, "Even though I'm forced to do this, I'm still not credible. "

Lindsay kissed her knuckles , " Sorry , it's not fair I know, but it is how these things are done. " Lindsay picked up another paper and carried on reading the documents.

**************

Angel woke with a scowl on his face, got up and put on his robe. He had just left his rooms when he saw Lindsay come out of Buffy's room. Buffy followed Lindsay out and kissed him passionately when she spotted Angel there.

"Am I to assume that you're happy and that my best girl was satisfactory? "

Lindsay winked and grinned at Angel, " Most definitely. The things she can do with her mouth, and that finger thing she does? If I wasn't so exhausted , I'd be hard again just thinking about it. " He kissed Buffy again and said goodbye . He left Angel on the staircase, watching as he left the mansion. Buffy had to stifle the laugh that threatened to voice itself at the way the mild mannered Texan had spoken to Angel. Angels face had been almost comical too. Buffy went back into her room and crossed the gap between her and her bed. She reclined on it, her thoughts whirling in her mind . So far her plans were working out. With a satisfied smile on her face , exhausted from her night with Lindsay, she fell asleep.

Rather than going home and catching up on some sleep, Lindsay went straight to his office. He closed the door and swung his briefcase onto his desk, opening the case . No sooner had he started to take out the evidence and documents that Buffy had given him, than an irate and worn looking Spike walked in. The door slammed so hard that the frames on the walls rattled.

"William? "

"Don't William me! Why the fuck didn't you tell me? "

Lindsay frowned and then his eyes widened with knowledge. "Shit! The Buffy I saw last night , is your Buffy? "

With his brow raised, fury still burning his eyes , Spike said , "That's what I'm here to find out. "

With a nod , so as to be sure that it was the same Buffy, Lindsay took a photograph out of his briefcase and held it out to Spike. Spike took it and as soon as his gaze fell upon the picture, he sat down in the closest chair. "It's her," he choked out. He slumped further into the chair and his head dropped back. Tears stung his eyes and his breath came in shaky pants. "Where is she? " He finally asked after a long tense silence.

Lindsay sighed before he answered, "It's complicated. "

Spikes eyes opened which locked with his colleagues, "What do you men it's complicated? "

"He still has her, Spike. Buffy thinks you're dead and so does Angel. "

"So tell her I'm not bloody dead! "

"It's not that easy. This whole case rests on Buffy. She's the only one that can put him away for life. If I tell her that you're alive and well and that you work for her, she won't be able to focus on what she has to do. She'll want to see you, you know she will , and that isn't an option. "

"Why can't I see her? "

Lindsay struggled with the decision to tell Spike exactly what was going on. He rocked in his office chair and saw the anger, frustration and pain on his friends face. His choice made, he threw the case file in front of Spike.

Spike frowned and with shaky hands, he picked up the file and flipped it open. He read the transcript of what had happened the night that he and Buffy ran from the home and what happened to her afterwards. After a hour of reading, flicking back and forth between pages, Spike finally reacted.

"Fucking Wanker! "He yelled. The file was thrown across the room, it's pages coming loose and floating around on the stirred up air before settling on the floor. He shook all over and paced the office. His eyes were bloodshot and his breathing was loud and ragged. "I don't care what you say, I want you to get me in to see her. I'll dye my hair, do anything, but I have to see her. I need to! "

"I can't. You'll compromise the case. "

Spike stopped pacing and gave Lindsay a cold , hard look. "You think I'm not professional enough to know that? I wouldn't do that to her! I just need to know that she is okay. "

The look on Spikes face melted Lindsay's resolve. "Okay, I'll see if she can get away from the mansion and come here. She managed it before so hopefully it won't be too hard to do again. But I'm warning you, Spike, you try being her knight in shining armour and jeopardize the case and I won't let you anywhere near her or the case. I need your help on this. You up for it? "

Spike narrowed his eyes. "What you playing at McDonald? Technically I can't touch the case. I'm written down in that file as a victim. It's not ethical! "

"You're not listed as a victim pur-se, Spike is but William isn't. "

They both smiled at each other and got up to collect the papers that were strewn around the office floor.

"So, when you going to call her? "

"I can't . I can phone for another appointment with her through Angel, but then you won't be able to see her. She has a mobile which she keeps for making calls to others, but she can't take calls in case Angel finds it. " Spike closed his eyes, willing her to ring Lindsay soon.

******************

Buffy walked into Angels office while he was on the phone and stood with her hands on her hips. "Last night was a nightmare! Davidson ripped half a dozen pairs of my underwear and then asked to wear my other sets. He even put on my make up! "

Angel waved at her while continuing his conversation. "I need to go and buy new sets in time for my client this evening. Is it okay to take the car and go into town? " He scowled at her and nodded, anything to get her out of the way so he could concentrate on his call. With a satisfied smile, Buffy left the mansion.

She drove around at speed , making sure that she wasn't followed and then went shopping for the items she needed. Buffy drove into the law firms car park and ran into the building. This time, Buffy bypassed the reception desk and walked straight into Lindsay's office.

" Oh god, sorry! I didn't know you were in a meeting." She kept her back to the door and fumbled for the door handle, never noticing how rigid Lindsay and the other person in the room had become. The man in the clients chair froze. Lindsay's eyes flitted between Buffy and the chair. After an uncomfortable pause , he asked Buffy to stay and to lock the office door. Nervously she did as he asked and stepped further into the room.

"Buffy, this is going to be a shock and I think you better sit down. " Lindsay pulled out another chair and stood beside it, one hand on the back. Not knowing what he meant, she shook her head. It was then that the clients chair swiveled , revealing it's occupant. All she could do was stare, open mouthed.

No!.. It can't be ... Oh god! " She gasped before her legs gave way and she passed out.

"Oh bloody hell! "

Spike shot out of his chair and gathered her in his arms. He picked her up like she was nothing and sat back in his chair. "I'd say that went well, don't you think? " He raised his brow questioningly at Lindsay.

"I didn't expect that to happen did I? "

Buffy stirred and groaned. Slowly her eyes opened and blinked away the haze and then froze in Spikes arms, "You're not real! "

Spike smiled sadly and held her to his body a little tighter, " I assure you I am , love. Do I feel real to you? "

Buffy looked at his chest and nodded , "Yeah.... yes, you do. " Her eyes met his blue eyes and tears began to flow down her cheeks, "How? " She asked.

Spike wiped a tear from her face with the pad of his thumb and tilted his head. "When they .... That night, after they took you away, a bloke found me and called the police. I was in hospital for a while, but got better and ... Well, we can chat about that some other time. God, it's been so long ,pet. I thought you were dead. " He held her tight, never wanting to let her go, and savored the feeling of having her there, with him again.

"How did you know I would be here? " Buffy asked

"I work here Buffy, I'm a lawyer. " He smiled at her surprised look.

"You work for me? "

" I wanted to work at the firm your dad started. Of course I didn't know if you were alive or .... I just wanted a connection to you. I help people and kids that went through the sort of hell that we did. "

"This is too much! I uh ... have to go ... I can't ... " She got up from Spikes lap and made it two steps towards the door before Spike caught her hand in his. "Please .... Buffy , " he pleaded, scared that he would lose her again.

"I'm sorry Spike, I've changed. You've changed and my life, it's complicated. "

"Lindsay's told me Buffy, I just want to help and to be there . "

"You told him? " Buffy screeched as she turned angered eyes on her lawyer.

Lindsay didn't act in any way sorry. "He had a right to know and he's helping me with the case. Isn't it better that he knows now rather than afterwards? This case is bound to be high profile, he'd have found out eventually. "

"Does he know about the other night? " Lindsay's eyes shot from her to Spike , who's eyes looked back at him with suspicion. She knew he hadn't said too much, but now , she had.

"What about the other night? Spikes whole demeanor changed, his face filled with curiosity.

"Oh god! " Lindsay replied, " Look I didn't know that she was ... It wasn't planned. "

"You slept with her! " Spikes gaze swung to Buffy , "You slept with him? "

"Please Spike ... Don't... "

"Don't what? Don't get angry? Don't hurt? Sorry pet, it's too late for that!" He pointed at Lindsay. "He knew who you were, he knew I was in love with you and that was why I came to work here. "

Buffy looked across at Lindsay, feeling the sting of his betrayal. " You knew? How could you do that to Spike? "

Lindsay looked ashamed but he defended himself, "Who seduced who, Buffy? "

"I . Didn't . Know . He . Was . Alive! You knew everything! If you had been honest with me and told me that Spike was alive and working here, I wouldn't have! "

His fist came from nowhere and knocked Lindsay on his ass. Lindsay looked dazed and held his jaw with his right hand. He shook his head to clear it and looked up, Spike held Buffy in his arms and glared back at him. " I can't be around you right now, get working on the case and we'll talk to you when we're ready. You ever pull a stunt like this again and I'll kill you. "

Spike dropped a kiss to Buffy's hair in an oh too familiar way and lead her from the office. His stride was strong and powerful, making other members of staff move out of his path as he made his way to the elevator with Buffy trailing behind him. As he made his way passed the reception desk he shouted to the girl there, "Mr McDonald might need first aid to take a look at his jaw. " Once they were in the elevator, he asked , "You come by car? "

"Yes. "

"Is it here, in this car park. "

"Yes. "

"Then it's safe. We'll take mine so there's no danger of being followed. I take it this Angel bloke's still a paranoid git? "

" Where are you going to take me? "

"My place, " Spike said as the elevator doors opened. He grabbed her hand again and walked at speed to his car. "I think we need to talk where we won't have any distractions. I'll drop you back here when we're done. "

"I can't stay long. He'll be expecting me back soon, " she mumbled.

"Right now I don't give a shit ,Buffy. If I had my way , you'd never go back! "

Her brows rose at his outburst and felt a bittersweet swelling of her heart. His actions proved that he still cared for her. But he was angered, which she guessed was only fair due to Lindsay's indiscretion with her.

"You can let go of my hand, I'm not going to run off. " He let go, she rubbed at her wrist and flexed her fingers.

Spike didn't apologize even though he had seen her do it. He took a remote out of his trouser pocket and then a cars lights blinked up ahead. Once they got to the car , he opened the drivers side door and looked over the roof at her, "Get in. " The journey to his house was quiet and Buffy was grateful even though it was uncomfortable. She swore that she could cut the air inside the car with a knife. She watched as the scenery changed from city to suburbs and then they melted away as they hit the beach road. Spike slowed the car on a bend and used yet another remote. A gate opened and he accelerated down a driveway.

Buffy was impressed, he had obviously done well for himself. What did she have to show for the five years that they had been separated? A name as the best whore money could buy. Hardly something she could be proud of. Spike stopped the car and got out. Buffy followed him and jumped when the cars alarm beeped . Spike walked into the house, throwing his keys and wallet onto a table before closing the door. He kicked his shoes off and walked barefoot down the hall and into his kitchen. Buffy walked slowly into the kitchen and by the time she got there, he had his head stuck in the fridge. He came out with some beers and some dip. He kicked the fridge door closed and put his armful on the counter. He reached into the top cupboard behind him and retrieved some chips, which he poured into a bowl.

"Beer? " He asked . It took Buffy by surprise as it was the first thing he had said since they left the office. She nodded, "Thanks. " Her hand brushed lightly over his as he held the bottle out to her and his gaze fell to hers briefly before snatching his hand back.

"Would you like to go down to the beach? It's pretty quiet and private, so we won't be disturbed. "

"Okay, sounds nice. " Buffy waited for him to show her the way out and he smiled back at her, "It is. This way. "

Spike opened a connecting door and walked through what Buffy assumed to be his lounge. She looked around as they walked through. He opened two large glazed French doors that lead out onto a large deck and gorgeous garden. He lead her down through the garden and then through a large arch that had been cut through a bush. Once she walked through the arch she stepped onto sand. Spike stopped and took his shoes off, holding them both in one hand and waited while she did the same. The view was breathtaking. She took a deep breath and walked over to where Spike now sat. She sat next to him and watched the waves ebb and flow back, occasionally glancing his way. He saw her come up behind him and fisted his hands in the sand. The silence stretched on and saw her glancing at him , waiting for some sign , of what he wasn't sure. Why had he bought her back here? He sighed.

"In five years I never let go. I held out hope that you were still alive. After a year almost everyone said that you were dead and that he must have killed you too. I worked hard, graduated law school and got a job working at your dads firm. My friends all encouraged me to move on and I tried. I met this girl, Dru, tried to love her and thought I did. But she knew better, knew I didn't love her. Couldn't. Not while I thought you were still out there. I came home one night and found her stood in the hall, all packed up ready to go. She told me I wasn't hers, that you still owned my heart and she couldn't , wouldn't settle for less than all of me. I couldn't be with anyone after that. "

Buffy cried and when he looked up at her, Buffy saw his tears falling silently too. " I used to dream that you would come back to me, different ways , places , but nothing prepared me for today, love. "

"Me either. I hate my life. I hate that men use me , use my body. But it isn't as if I had a choice. I tried to run away and they always caught me. Angel would punish me afterwards and then lock me in my room. He would starve me and beat me until I learned that I couldn't escape him. I tried to end my life more than once but it only made things worse. He had a doctor on his payroll for us and once the doctor gave me the 'all clear' , he would punish me again. God, Spike, I wish he had killed me along with my parents that night. Or shot me when he had shot you. It would have saved me! " Buffy got up and walked to the waters edge, letting the small waves lap at her feet and ankles. Spike stayed where he was, watching her back and the sunset , his mind racing.

Was it too late for them? Had Buffy gone through so much that she was emotionally broken? He hated this and watching her now he knew she would be crying and he wanted to go to her and comfort her so badly. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and erase the past five years for her. He stood and brushed the sand from his trousers and walked down to her. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear him come to stand behind her. She felt his hands on her arms and closed her eyes . "I remember the first time I saw you. It was the day my social worker took me to the home. You were in the games room playing pool with Xander. You looked up and our eyes met. "

"I remember, " he whispered.

"It was like your eyes bored their way through to my soul and you imprinted yourself there. " Buffy leaned back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her.

" Can we go back? Go back to how it was? " He looked down at her as she looked up at him.

" I wish we could, that it would be so easy. But I have to try and put Angel away. I have to. "

"I'll be there for you, help you and support you, " he said.

"I don't want to go back there, but I have been away too long already. " She knew that by now he would have Penn out looking for her.

"So stay. Don't go back. We have enough evidence to put him behind bars for a long time. Once they start investigating , the detectives will find the rest. We'll get you round the clock protection, I won't let you out of my sight again. I won't let him hurt you again. "

Buffy turned in his arms, her arms snaked around his waist and her forehead rested on his chest. She listened to the fast beat of his heart and his rhythmic breathing. She wanted to stay, to never leave the safety of his embrace, but she knew that she couldn't. Not yet. "I can't. "

"Buffy, pet... " His eyes begged her to stay . Her sad eyes looked up and begged him to keep her there despite her words. "Don't Spike, please. It's hard enough, don't make it any harder. "

He leaned down and gently kissed her. She closed her eyes and let him lead her as he slowly deepened the kiss. His arms wrapped around her tightly and drew her up against his body, letting her feel his need for her. Buffy moaned as he cupped her ass and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Not once did they break from each others kisses. Spike staggered back up the beach, the sand making it hard to keep his balance. His hand shot out to grasp at the bush as he walked under it and then walked up to the decking and into the house. He managed to get them into the hallway and bounced off the walls , each time he pushed her against the wall and devoured her lips, neck and her shoulder. Buffy looked over his shoulder and saw that he was going to take her upstairs and suddenly , panic set in.

"Stop! "

Spike looked up at her from her neck and held her against the wall, confused.

"I want to ..... " she panted , " so much. But it's too soon. " Breathe , she told herself. " Try and understand. I want it to be special, if we do this now, it won't be. "

Spike kissed her softly and settled her back on her own feet. His thumb ran across her bottom lip, his eyes following it's path before he answered her. " You're right. Come on pet. I'm hungry, you must be too. Let's go and see what we can rustle up in the kitchen. Are you hungry, love? "

Buffy knew it must be getting late, it was dark and she knew that Angel would have his goons out looking for her by now. She was scared, but while she was with Spike, she didn't care. Here, with him, she felt safe. "Famished , " she answered. "Can you cook? "

He smirked, happy that she was staying with him, for a while at least. "Course, might not be gourmet but I haven't poisoned anyone yet. "

"So, whatcha got? " Buffy smiled as she 'bounced' over to his refrigerator and opened it.

Spike tried to beat her to it but got the door in his chest for trying. Her head disappeared into it and he couldn't help but stare at her ass as her body moved and caused it to sway. He hardened in his pants and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to calm down. When he opened his eyes , Buffy was looking at him, her brow arched.

"Bollocks, " he'd been caught.

Buffy coughed and kicked the fridge door shut while she deposited numerous cartons on the counter top. " Well, once I had moved all of the cartons of Chinese take out, which by the way , have organisms living in them that probably haven't even been discovered by science yet, I realized that you don't have anything edible in there. "

"Oh. "

Two brows raised and she giggled at the look on his face.

"How about we go shopping and get something then? " Her giggles and smiles died and then he realized why. " We could order in? " He said.

"But not Chinese! After getting the aromavision of your fridge , I'm off it for life! "

"Pizza? "

"Perfect, " she replied and then hopped up on one of his bar stools while he rang the order through. Buffy watched him intently, noticing every little thing that had changed over the years.

He was more confidant, but in a good way.

He seemed to have lost his ' snarkiness'.

He was definitely more intense.

He was more muscular than before but not bulky.

He now had a scar above his left eye, not that it spoilt the beauty that was him. In fact it added to it in a rugged kind of way.

She could have gone on, but he was talking..... to her .... 'Damn! ' "Huh? "

He smirked, "I said , be about twenty minutes. Is that okay love? "

"Fine. " She smiled. "So ...... "

"How about I show you around the place? "

"Great! " Buffy said enthusiastically , "I'd love to see the rest. It's an amazing place you have here. "

"Thanks, come on. "

After showing Buffy around his home and impressing her with it, they made their way back to the kitchen where they waited for the pizza delivery. When it arrived, Spike paid for it and then 'plopped' both boxes on the counter and opened the lids. He pulled a stool up to the counter next to Buffy and started to devour his first slice. Buffy stared, trying to keep the smile from her face and Spike frowned, "What? " He asked with his mouth full, cheesy strings and tomato sauce on his chin.

She wrestled with the decision of whether to tell him or not ... "Nothing, " she said with a wide grin on her face.

"I have some on my chin, don't I? " He swirled his long tongue out and managed to get most of it before licking his lips.

"My god... I forgot how long that thing is! " She blurted out through her lustful gaze. Spike raised his scared brow and dropped his tongue back out, causing her to blush a deeper shade of red. To cover her embarrassment , Buffy grabbed another slice of pizza and ate it without looking at him. Spike sat with a shit eating grin on his face.

Buffy yawned and pushed her box away, full and defeated . Spike got up and put both boxes into his fridge and stood looking at her. She looked tired and relaxed. The thought of her going back to her nightmare life now pained him.

" I've got an idea, hear me out before you interrupt. " Buffy tried to say something but got his finger on her lips to stop her. " I have this friend that's a traffic cop. He owes me a favor. I can get him to pull a few strings, to say that he caught you speeding and took you to the station. You panicked, resisted because you knew Angel would go ballistic and they had to keep in for the night. You can stay here for the night, and if he asks if they are going to press charges, you say no as you have no previous and were a good girl. "

"I don't know. He's smart and I'm not a very good liar. "

" That's not all you're worried about is it? What's got you so scared , Buffy? "

"Us. " she answered. " We've only just found each other again. There's joy at that but then there is so much more. There's the needing again, the pain and then there is the future. We don't even know if it is a future together. A part of me is frightened that we can't go back to how we were. I'm scared that you won't be able to see passed what I have had to do to stay alive for the past five years. " Tears hung unshed on her lashes and when she looked at Spike he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight to his chest.

"You're right, we don't know each other now or who we have become and we have no idea what the future holds for us. But Buffy .. " He held her at arms length so he could look her in the eyes , " If we don't try, if we don't take the time to get to know each other, how will we find out and know? "

There was a long silence and a gaze that held them both captive. It seemed never ending.

"Are you going to call that cop friend of yours? " she said , smiling at him .

Spike kissed her hard and smiled as he picked up the phone and dialed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve.

Ten minutes had past and Spike was still on the phone talking to his friend, setting up the alibi and discussing case that they had been involved in one way or another. Buffy wasn't interested, she was busy looking around the house trying to get a sense for the person Spike was now. He still loved punk music, judging on his collection of cd's, although there was some classical music too. He obviously liked art as there were a lot hanging on the walls. He had good taste, as Buffy liked the vibrant abstract works. His furniture was comfortable yet understated , clean looking. It wasn't what she could have pictured him liking only a few years ago, but then , a lot had happened since then.

His laughter made her look over at him and saw him run his hand through his hair in a familiar way and it made her smile. Her hand trailed across the back of the sofa as she walked over to his desk that sat in the corner. This was the only place in the room that seemed disheveled. Paper littered the desk, some looked like work he had bought home with him, others looked like scribbled drawings and ... poetry? One scrap of paper caught her eye and she picked it up. It was her, laid on a bed, her eyes closed and tears coming from here eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she read the words below the drawing.

' I look up

A tear rolls slowly down my cheek

I think about better days,

And wonder if I'll feel that way again,

If you will ever look at me,

With those eyes I know so well again.

You look so scared,

Like for once you don't have the answer

I gaze at you,

Looking deep into those hazel eyes,

Hoping to understand,

Why I lost you when I did.

I wonder for a moment,

If this is all a dream,

If I shall wake in the morning,

And be relieved,

And you will look at me again

My hope that you would,

Slowly pull me towards you,

And wipe the tears from my cheek. '

When she finished reading it, he was beside her, a myriad of emotions playing across his face. Tears stung at her eyes and she placed it back down on the desk and sniffed.

"That was beautiful. "

"It's how I felt... feel, " he said quietly, trying not to break the spell.

Silence hung between them for an uncomfortable amount of time, both of them feeling it as if it was almost physical.

"I ... uh .... d..did you do the drawing too? "

"I did .. did most the ones here as a matter of fact. "

"Wow , they're gorgeous! "

"You really like them? " Spike was wide eyed, as if he shocked that someone could actually like them. He hadn't let anyone read his poetry, the one person who had read them, had laughed and called them lovesick ramblings. It was one of the reasons why he had found it so hard to fall in love with Dru. His drawings and paintings went unsigned and he never told anyone who did like them, that they were his.

"Of course I do! "

"Come with me ,love. "

"Where are we going? " She frowned.

" I'm going to show you something that will help you understand what the five years without you was like for me."

Spike held out his hand for her to take, hesitantly. unsure of whether this was a good idea or not. His heart raced and told him yes, while his head, cautiously, told him to wait. But the way she was looking up at him, the joy of being with her again made him throw caution to the wind. So when she placed her small hand in his, he lead her down a hall from the kitchen and unlocked the door to his sanctuary.

Once the door was open Spike turned on the overhead lights and let go of Buffy's hand. He held the door and waited until she was in the room before he closed the door. She stood still, looking around. "Spike ... I. "

The room was bright, but bland. The walls had been painted white, showing the irregular brickwork. The blandness was broken only by the very old and worn floorboards and another set of floor to ceiling French doors. Although dark now, Buffy knew that it would have the amazing view of the coast and ocean. Despite the room and the knowledge of the view that had Buffy had, she was captivated and utterly speechless.

"I started the first one almost straight after.... A nurse in the hospital gave me an artist pad and some pencils, and I drew. I tried to draw landscapes or even parts of the ward I was on , but they ended up in balls, crumpled in anger and thrown across the room. I laid there, my mind blank , well mostly. When Greta, my nurse came in and pulled me back from my haze, I'd drawn this. " Spike walked over to a filing cabinet and pulled out an immaculate sheet of paper. He handed it to Buffy and ducked his head, suddenly unsure of himself.

It was beautiful. Her image stared back at her. It was of her as she had looked when they first met. She was lying on his leather duster, naked, her hair fanning out around her head and shoulders. Her eyes were looking up, as if looking at someone above her and they were full of love. It must have been how he saw her the night that they had first made love in the old gym hall. Her eyes filled with tears and she handed him back the sketch with an unsteady hand.

"When I moved in here I knew this was the perfect room for my release.I'd finish work and come in here and paint. " Spike moved to a stack of canvasses that leaned against a wall. He started turning them around so that the images were left bare to her gaze. Only a small stack remained turned from her , facing the wall. Instantly she was drawn to them.

"What're these? " She asked while pointing to them.

"Nothing Buffy, leave them please! "

But it was too late, she had started turning them to her, her curiosity peaked.

The first she studied was of another woman. Her dark hair curled around a painfully thin face. Her dark eyes had an almost evil coldness to them, full of wicked intent. Her mouth was small and curved into a smile that was just as sinful looking as her eyes. Her arms were outstretched as if to coax someone into them. The background was flames of reds, oranges and gold.

"Who was she? " Buffy asked .

"Dru. The brief affair I had. "

"She was pretty, " Buffy said as she put the painting back and looked at Spike. He was obviously uncomfortable talking about her so Buffy let the conversation regarding Dru, drop. "What about this picture? "

He was standing , his arms held out to the side, as if he had been crucified. A large piece of wood was buried in his chest. Tears of blood ran down his cheeks and it looked as if he was disintegrating to nothing. "When Dru left, after what she had said , I felt that you had taken a piece of wood and driven it deep into my heart. I felt that I was turning to dust, unable to love anyone else and I couldn't live without you. "

Again ,Buffy turned it to face the wall it leaned on. She shut her eyes, trying to block the image of himself that he had captured on the canvas. Her eyes opened and fell on what she thought was her favorite so far. It was one of her, again naked , but with him laid across one side, his legs twisted with hers and his arm was wrapped around her possessively. The painting was beautiful. With everything so fresh in her mind, she was overwhelmed with emotion and her tears fell unnoticed by her. She suddenly felt .... unworthy. Buffy turned to see his face looking back at her with raw honestly and so much love it made her breath catch in her throat.

"I think I should go. This is too 's overwhelming me and I just can't do this right now. I have so much to focus on and I don't need any distractions. I'm sorry. " Panic rose in her and she needed air, needed space and time to process everything. Buffy knew that he would be hurt by her actions . Knowing that, she couldn't look at Spike.

Buffy walked back out of the room and down the hall, and into the kitchen. Once there she started looking for her shoes and tried not to think of anything other than finding them, her handbag and getting back to the mansion.

"Stop! ... Buffy ... Will you just bloody stop! "

Buffy froze with her back to him . Her head dropped to look at the floor as she waited for him to say whatever it was that he had to get off his chest. He breathed out harshly through his nose and walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her jump at the contact.

"I'm sorry if I overwhelmed you, love , and I'm sorry that you feel that you have to leave. I can't force you to stay and I won't beg you either. I want us to put our past where it belongs and to start again. I still love you , Buffy, guess I always will. Question is ... Do you still love me? "

And that was the question , wasn't it? Did she still love him? Yes, she did. It was still as strong as it had been. With all the other emotions that she had coursing through her and the fact that he was here, holding her to his chest, she knew she did. That was what scared her and had her running out the door. "Yes. Yes, I do . I always will. Not even thinking you were dead, stopped it. Maybe that made it worse, I don't know, but I'm scared Spike. If Angel finds out about you, about us, he'll try and kill you again, and maybe this time he would succeed. "

"Buffy, listen to me. He can only hurt me if he finds out. I'm not going to lose you again. We're going to work together to bring him down and put him away for a long time. Somewhere where he can't hurt anyone ever again. Give me a chance to show you how good it can be. Give me tonight, please? "

She turned in his arms and splayed her hands on his chest, feeling the muscles there tense and then relax. The emotions she saw in his eyes would make it so easy for her to fall, knowing he would catch her. She wanted to, with every fiber of her being and she felt her need for him swell inside her heart, inside her , ready to consume her if she would just take that final step and give in. She could see his raw need for her and all she had to do was give him some small sign, a gesture that she was his again and there would be no turning back. Buffy knew it. But her fear of Angel and what he could and would do haunted her. A flashback to the night they had ran away, and a vision of Penn holding his gun at arms length and pulling the trigger and shooting Spike, kept her from giving in. "I'm sorry. I have to go. "

He stood frozen to his spot in the lounge long after he heard the front door shut. Finally he turned and made his way to the couch and slumped onto it. He sat there, for how long , he didn't know and was about to go to bed when he heard the front door bell chime. Slowly he raised himself up and went to answer it. He opened the door and closed his eyes.

"I forgot about your gate. I considered climbing over it and then came to my senses and realized how utterly stupid I'm being. I love you Spike. I always have . Angel's taken so much of me, from me, and I'm fighting to get that back. I won't let him take you , not again. It'll be hard, Spike. I'm no picnic. I'm not the Buffy you fell in love with. If you think you can love me, then I want it. I want you. "

Spike looked down at her and tilted his head to one side, his blue eyes burned into hers as if he was searching her soul for the absolute truth. His gaze became intense . What with, Buffy did not know but he seemed calm, as if he had somehow seen her heart. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and stroked his thumb across her cheek. His fingers spread to the nape of her neck and pulled her to him as his head came down to meet hers. Their lips met gently at first, so gently the kiss was barely there.

Her arms slid over the plains of his chest and she felt him shudder at her touch. A low moan escaped him as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding across her bottom lip. She granted him access and massaged his tongue with hers. They broke the kiss long enough for Spike to shut the front door. As it clicked shut, Spike pinned her to the wall and slid his hands round her body, his hands finding the globes of her ass, and picked her up. Buffy wrapped her legs around him and sighed into his mouth as his hardened member rubbed at her core with his movements. He carried her to the foot of the stairs and pushed her against the wall again. "You sure about this , pet? Once I get you upstairs there'll be no turning back. "

Her answer was given without words. Her hand moved down to cup him through his trousers and her kiss left him breathing harder. He carried her up the stairs as fast as he could and opened his bedroom door. He crossed the floor of his room in a hurry and laid her down on his bed with care. He crawled his way up her body , kissing her as he did and then settled above her, happy just to hold and kiss her.

Buffy reached the point where she needed more but was too scared to go further. She knew that Spike must feel the same . She could feel him pressed hard against her high and yet he hadn't pressured her for more.

"Buffy, " he whispered, his voice soft and deep through lust, "I need you, need to feel your skin against mine, need to make you mine you let me? " His lips grazed her neck and moved up , across her jaw to her lips. "I want to make love to you, baby. "

Her heart thundered in her chest and her breathing became shallow. His eyes locked with hers, silently begging her to give herself over to him. Her mind screamed at her, telling her it was to soon , but her heart , her body, turned a deaf ear to all sense and logic and they screamed back at her to do their will.

Spike must have seen her inner struggle and his heart sank. He went to move off of her but found two small but powerful hands stop him. " Spike? " Her face was calm again and she smiled shyly, her hands ran up his shirt to his tie and slowly took it from his neck, dropping it to the floor and then starting on he shirt buttons. "I want you to make love to me. I want to feel. Make me feel something more than just cold and empty. "

Spike pulled her to him, crushing her to his chest as he kissed her hard, pulling her top off and only breaking from her lips so he could. Her hands weren't idle, Buffy pushed his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. Buffy shifted her position so she now sat on his lap and ran her nails across his back , causing him to hiss through his teeth.

His hands found the fastening to her skirt and undid it with ease. Her leaned down, laying her down and kissed his way down her body so that he could remove the skirt was off he gazed down at her. "You're so beautiful love. Just as I remember you. "

"Need you , Spike... "

He raised his scarred brow and smiled when she did. He opened the clasp of his belt and opened his trousers. He stood at the foot of the bed and took off his shoes then shed his trousers. Buffy leaned up on her elbows and looked at him. Her eyes immediately found the scar that lay just above his heart and she looked up , seeing him climb back onto the bed and sit on his calves. She sat up in front of him, her hand reaching out to touch the marred skin. His hand wrapped around her wrist , making her look up at him, "He did this to you . Because of me. "

" And I would let him do it all over again, for you . "

Buffy pulled him back with her as she laid down, letting Spike settle between her legs, their bodies moving together in an age old dance. Spike pulled up, his arms locked above her and moved himself so he was poised at her entrance. Buffy stilled, hand cupped his face, her eyes full of love and need.

"Please, " she whispered.

She gasped as Spike slowly eased his way into her until he was completely sheathed within her. He swallowed hard and let out a low moan as he felt her walls tighten around him. She was so hot , so tight. Just as he remembered. Tears welled but were chased away by her slow rocking, making him move . His hips started to rise in time with hers, slowly. Spike leaned down and kissed her gently then buried his head into her shoulder. Buffy wrapped her legs around his waist and stroked his back, his shoulders and hair as he began rocking them, speeding up as he felt a new flood of moisture leak from her core. Her pants and low moans encouraged him and soon he lost himself in her. He bought himself up on his knees and spread her legs wider, drawing himself out further before burying himself back inside her .

"Let go baby, let it go. " she whispered

"Want to ... You feel so good . Won't last if I do. "

But seeing her laid beneath him, the way she felt, her pussy gripping him so tightly,was too much and Spike closed his eyes as he started to thrust harder. He bent over her and pulled her onto his lap, never ceasing his movements. Buffy held onto his shoulders and started to move with him, taking him deeper so he filled her, hitting the sweet spot inside her. She cried out as he held her hips and forced her down harder, his eyes locked on hers and he leaned in to capture her lips. Spike pulled back and held Buffy tight to him, his mouth near her ear.

"I'm close, love, going to come , you with me ... come with me Buffy. "

His words made her moan louder , he laid her back down and kept his pace fast, his thrusts hard .Her hands let him go and gripped the bed as the first fluttering of orgasm flowed through her system.

"Fuck... I can feel it , come sweetheart... can feel your close.. I'm coming "

"I'm coming .... Spike! " she cried out as her eyes locked with his and they followed each other into bliss.

Spike covered her shoulder, neck and face with light kisses, "Love you .. love you so much, Buffy .. my Buffy. " His body relaxed on hers, holding onto her tightly as finally, he let his emotions go. He sobbed into her shoulder while she stroked his hair and soothed him.

"I'm yours, Spike, always. "

"Stay with me .. Please, stay with me. "

He looked at her, hope swam in his eared up eyes and Buffy smiled, " I can't go back now. "


	13. Chapter 13

A/N - Thank you all so much for the fantastic reviews and support. It means a lot to me , I love reading your comments and views on my story and hope that there will be lots more :)

Chapter Thirteen.

Waking up with a warm body next to her was something that rarely happened. Opening her eyes and looking up, Buffy smiled. Spike was curled around her, his head above her on her pillow with his mouth open. He snored quietly , it was almost a purr. He shifted in his sleep and pulled her closer .

She felt rested. Last night had been the best sleep that she had had in years. Buffy felt lighter too, like the weight had been lifted from her shoulders and the burden she had carried for five years, was suddenly gone. She knew that it wasn't over, that this was just the beginning, but she refused to let it spoil what she had now. For now she would bask in the arms of the man she loved. Buffy closed her eyes again and buried her head into Spikes chest, surrounded by his scent and warmth, she drifted back off to sleep.

*********************

Angel stormed into his office and threw his body into his chair. His fingers drummed on his desk angrily. Where the fuck was she? What the hell was she playing at? One thing he was sure of, when he found her, she would pay for this!

Penn returned to the mansion after being out all night searching for his bosses piece of ass. He hadn't had any luck and he knew that he would bare the brunt of Angel's fury. Not one of his informants had been of help and no-one had seen her. Now he had to face Angel and tell him the bad news and find out what he wanted to do next. With a deep sigh, he entered the office without knocking.

Angel looked up from his laptop and shut the lid when he saw that Penn had returned. He sat back in his leather chair and steepled his fingers, eyes narrowed.

"Tell me you have good news for me? "

Penn shook his head, "No, we've all been looking and there's no sign of her . I've sent Luke to check with the police and airports, but we doubt we'll get any information on her whereabouts. "

"She didn't have a passport ,so she can't leave the country, idiot. Did you check the local hospitals? "

"First place we looked. Can I ask you something? " Penn asked , albeit nervously.

"What? " Angel snapped back.

"What do you intend to do with her once we find her? You can't seriously be considering allowing her to get away with this. It won't look good and this could encourage the other girls to try and do the same. "

Angel's jaw flexed and his temper flared. How dare his employee tell him what he should do! " Don't worry about it , Penn, " he growled, letting his anger bleed into his voice, "I intend to punish her. I'll find her and trust me when I say she will suffer. So will anyone helping her. " He didn't appreciate Penn doubting him or his intentions.

Penn gave Angel a disbelieving smile. It was almost smug. Since Buffy had arrived he had wanted to get rid of her, knowing that she was a weakness of Angels. Somehow the girl had gotten under his bosses skin and had then crawled her way into his heart. So much so that he had pushed Darla away. Penn had no idea where Darla was , but it was rumored that he had a hitman called Lucas kill her. It was shame if that was the truth, Darla had been a hard bitch with a good head for business. Seeing the state of Angel, he hoped he got to the girl first, just so that he could take his anger at the situation out on her.

"You think that she has some help then? How could she have contact with anyone? "

Angel glared at him, "I don't know .. She obviously has though, don't you agree? " Penn nodded and paced in front of the desk. "Has anyone looked at her fathers law firm? "

"No, I'll get someone to check into it straight away. "

"See to it. Oh ,and Penn? "

"What? "

"If you find her , or any leads, I want to know immediately. Don't go after her without me. " Angel gave a cold hard glare that told Penn that he knew what he had been thinking earlier. "I mean it. Nobody is to touch so much as a hair on her head. Anything happens to her and you will be held responsible. "

*******************************

Buffy woke again, the sun shining down on her brightly, causing her to squint and use her arm to shield against the light. Spike was already awake, leaning up on his elbow watching her with a wide smile. "Morning princess. "

"Morning. What time is it? " Buffy sat up quickly, panic set in and now she looked scared.

"Buffy... "

She looked over at Spike and her shoulders fell, she took a deep calming breath and nodded. She knew what he was going to say, for her to calm down. Last night they had talked and he had said he would stand by her and that they would take Angel down together. They planned to talk to Buffy's contacts and have all correspondence go through him so she didn't have to worry about being found out. She had finally agreed to stay with him and not return to Angel.

"I know.... After all this time it's hard to shut off the panic. I know what he'll do when he realizes I'm not there, or coming back. "

"We'll face that when the time comes ,love. Right now I think you need to lay back, relax and let me get us some breakfast."

"I think you're like the perfect man. "

"Hardly, " he grinned.

"Well I think you are. " Buffy leaned into Spike and kissed him.

"Breakfast. " Spike repeated and slid off the bed. He glanced back and watched as Buffy settled back in the bed with a content look on her face.

Buffy lay in the bed, warm and content. When Spike was there, holding her or just simply close by, she could put everything out of her mind and not worry. But now that he was in the kitchen, her mind began to race and panic rose up. What if Angel found her?

Deciding that she would only end up getting herself in a state if she laid there thinking about the situation, she got up and went to Spikes dresser. She pulled one of his tee's out of a drawer and pulled it on and then went into the kitchen. He had his back to her as she slipped onto a stool, he turned his head slightly to acknowledge the fact that she was there.

"I thought I was supposed to be cooking you breakfast in bed? "

"I got lonely. Smells wonderful, what are we having? "

" Not much, my culinary skills are very limited but I can knock up eggs with bacon and English muffins. "

"Sounds great, " she replied. Her stomach growled loudly as if the smell was fueling her hunger.

After a few more minutes Spike set a plate in front of Buffy and then took the stool next to her.

***************************************************

Angel had had enough of sitting around waiting for his men to come back with more bad news. He stood up with purpose, pushing his office chair back with his legs and grabbed his car keys. He retrieved his mobile from his jacket pocket and dialed Penn. Penn answered after two rings.

"Penn, have the car out the front, I'm coming with you. "

Penn looked up at the roof of the car and stiffened his jaw before he answered, "Sure, see you in two. " Now that Angel was coming with him, he couldn't take his frustrations out on the girl should he find her. He looked up at the front door of the mansion and saw Angel running down the steps. Once Angel was in the car, Penn pulled away at speed in a bid to release some of his tension.

****************************************************

Spike walked into the bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks. Buffy stood at the end of the bed holding up her clothes from the day before, naked except for her bra and a pair of his boxers.

"Very fetching, pet. "

"Ha, ha . You're killing me with your wit. " Buffy turned and sat heavily onto the bed, dropping her arms onto her lap and sighed. "My clothes are so creased they're unwearable. "

Spike smiled and crossed the room to sit beside her. "Then we'll go shopping and get you some new ones. I have a few bits here that Dru left. Let's see if they will fit you. "

Buffy looked up at him, not thrilled at the idea of wearing his ex-girlfriends cast offs. "They're not that bad Buffy and it will only be for a short time. Its that or you wear some of my sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt. "

"Damn you and your logic! " She teased. She dropped her creased clothes into his laundry hamper and turned to him, "Okay, I'll wear her stuff. She wasn't into anything freaky was she? "

"Trust me when I say that she was very conservative, almost Victorian. "

Buffy raised her brows and followed him through the house and into what she thought of as his junk room. She stood at the door while Spike waded through the boxes. After moving several big boxes, Spike let out a triumphant 'A-ha!' and climbed back out of the room with a large box in his arms. Buffy moved to the side to let him pass her and turned off the light before closing the door. Spike carried it to the bedroom and dropped it in front of the bed. Buffy looked at the box and then tore the strip of masking tape off and then started to unpack the clothing.

When Spike had said that Dru's taste in clothes were conservative, he wasn't joking. Most were very Victorian in style but luckily the catwalk fashions had been styled on that look lately, so she could easily pull it off. After laying the clothing out on the bed, Buffy chose a black high necked, lace and silk blouse and a long black skirt. Spike packed the rest of the clothes back in the box, pausing when he held a long red dress. Buffy watched as his whole demeanor changed. He looked tense. His fists gripped the material tight and his knuckles turned white. He breathed in loudly through his nose and let it back out slowly. He looked up at Buffy and apologized as he threw the dress back in the box , telling her that he would wait for her out in the lounge. Buffy jumped slightly when the door to the bedroom slammed shut.

She was confused. When Spike had told her that Dru had left him because she knew that he was still in love with her, he seemed to accept that as fact. Like he knew it was the truth himself. He also made it seem as though he had never loved Dru, yet he acted as though she had hurt him badly and seeing her clothing had refreshed his memories and the pain. Buffy looked down at the skirt and blouse and wondered if she should just wear her crumpled clothing until she had a chance to buy a new outfit. Last thing she needed was to wear clothing that Dru had and have him acting all weird around her all day. She picked up her clothes and went into the bathroom, she turned the shower on hot , hung her top and skirt on the shower rail and closed the door. She hoped the steam would remove most of the creases. After five minutes she went back into the bathroom and breathed a sigh of relief. Once she had turned the shower off, Buffy got dressed in her clothes and tidied Dru's clothing away in the box and carried it back to the spare room.

Spike stood on the deck overlooking the garden ,smoking his third cigarette when Buffy slid the door open and joined him. He glanced sideways at her and frowned.

"Thought you sorted some of the other clothes out? "

"No offense but I saw the way it effected you and I didn't want you acting the way you did with that dress. "

He put his head down and looked at the tip of the cigarette. "Sorry, love. It's just ... I can't explain , maybe I can. The dress was the last thing she wore before she left. It was left on the bed, tossed aside the way she did with me. It seems so stupid but it just bought back so many memories. I wouldn't have taken that hurt and anger out on you, love. Believe me when I say that. "

Buffy listened as he told her and stepped closer, to hug him from arms wrapped around his chest and she laid her head on his back. Spike flicked the rest of his cigarette away and turned in her arms to face her. His hand cupped her cheek as his thumb brushed across her lips. He leaned down slowly to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. As he pulled away he whispered huskily. "I love you, pet. Always have and I won't hurt you. Not intentionally. "

"I know. "

***************************************************

Angel and Penn pulled in to the car park below Morgan, Summers and McDonald, the tyres screamed as they turned sharply on the smooth tarmac. Angel looked around and spotted her said nothing but pointed at the abandoned vehicle. Penn smirked as he got out, Angel stood tall and looked around before they both walked towards the elevator.

****************************************************

Buffy was grateful that Spike was with her while she called Tara and then Lindsay. As uncomfortable as that had been, he had positive news. Buffy agreed to come in to the offices as soon as she rang Tara back and asked her to meet her there too. After a brief stop to buy herself some clothes, Spike and Buffy drove to the law firm in silence.

The car park was busy and they finally got a parking space after twenty minutes. Neither spoke as they got out of the car. Spike reached his out and took her small hand in his as they crossed to the inside, Buffy pushed for the floor they needed and doors opened and Spike stepped out first, still holding her hand so that Buffy was only a step behind him. He held his hand up to the receptionist as a greeting and strode down the hallway to Lindsay's office. Buffy looked around as they walked down the hall, not seeing Tara she hoped that she was already here and was waiting for them with Lindsay.

Spike knocked firmly on the door and walked nodded towards the lawyer and then shut the door once Buffy was inside.

"Spike, Buffy, " Lindsay greeted them with a smile and held his hand out for Spike to ignored it.

"Lindsay. You said you had news, lets not waste our time or yours. Just tell us. " Spike stood ramrod straight, but he pulled a chair out for took it.

"I understand we'll be joined by a ... " He looked at a sheet of paper, "Tara MacClay? "

"That's right, " Buffy said as she nodded.

"Would you rather wait for her to arrive so that we don't have to repeat ourselves? " Lindsay asked.

It made sense to Buffy but she looked up at Spike to see if he agreed. He did. " Right then. We'll wait in my me when she arrives. I take it the window's been replaced? "

Lindsay nodded. Buffy stood and followed Spike out and across the hall to his office. Immediately, Spike started up his desktop pc and sat in his chair. Once the computer had booted up, he got up and took the briefcase that Buffy had bought with her, and started to photocopy the files. When that was done he took out what looked to Buffy like a dictaphone and plugged the usb into the computer. He retrieved the tape of Angels confession and put that into the dictaphone device and copied that onto the pc. The phone rang as he was taking the tape out and as he was busy Spike hit the loud speaker button.

"What is it? " He barked.

Lindsay's voice came through the line. " Ms. MacClay is here. "

"Fine. " Spike answered, "We'll be in shortly. Have the front desk make us all some coffee, we'll need it. "

He hung up and continued to gather everything again, ready to put back in the briefcase. Buffy looked out of the office window, the one that looked into the hall and froze. The last person she expected to see walking down the hall , was there. And he wasn't alone. She backed away from the window and hit the light switch and turned them out..

"Hey! " Spike called out before looking up at her and then he realized something was wrong. "Buffy, what is it, pet? "

Buffy turned quickly and ran behind the desk and ducked, pulling him down with her. Her fingers automatically went to his lips to silence him. He peered around the desk and saw what had her so spooked. Spike ducked again and pulled Buffy into his arms. Spike heard a door close by open and closed his eyes tight, hoping that it wasn't what and who he suspected it was. Their luck wasn't with them, as Lindsay came bounding into the office calling out his name. On getting no reply and seeing the office in darkness, Lindsay turned to the receptionist that happened to be talking to Angel and Penn at the time, and asked if she had seen Spike and Buffy. Angel looked down at the Texan lawyer and narrowed his eyes, yet kept a blank expression. Penn smirked and looked into the office that Lindsay had just exited. It was at that point that Buffy peered over the desk and tried to get the file and tape.

Angel smiled. He had her. All he had to do was play it cool now. He turned on the charm and then said his goodbye's, excusing himself from the conversation. Penn watched the office as they walked past and nodded to Angel. They looked back over their shoulders to see that the hall had cleared.

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief to see that Angel was leaving. Angel had obviously heard Lindsay but had realized that she was untouchable here. On shaky limbs, she stood and made her way to the open door. Spike was right behind her. As she went to leave , strong hands grabbed her and pulled her from the scream pierced the air and drew most from their offices. Nobody moved once they saw what was happening and froze in their was held against Angels chest with a gun against her head.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14.

"Well, well, well..... Look what I found! "

Penn drew his gun and kept it trained on Spike. He looked closely at him and raised his brows, "Didn't I kill you already? "

Despite the situation, Spike smirked and shook his head. Angels goon was a moron. "If you'd killed me, would I be stood here now? "

Buffy whimpered as Angel pulled her tight against him and forced the gun harder into her temples. Armed security guards were taking up tactical posts close by and had their guns aimed at Penn and Angel. Penn turned his gun on the guards at their backs and put his back against Angels. Trust his boss to act impulsively, especially when it came to Buffy. Now they were in the middle of a situation that was quickly going from bad, to worse.

It was Spike that realized that this was not going to end well. He put his hands up and walked forward. Angel twitched and drew yet another whimper from Buffy. Spike glanced at her, giving her an apologetic look for what he was about to do. Buffy stilled in Angels arms and watched dumbstruck as Spike told the guards to back off and let them go. She shook her head and struggled to get free of Angel, crying out "No! " over and over as she was dragged backwards towards the elevator. Her eyes met with Spikes and filled with tears. He was letting her go again. It had only been last night that he had promised to never let her go again and had asked her to stay. He must know what Angel would do to her once he got her back to the mansion. Didn't he listen to everything she had told him?

"Shut up, bitch! Stop that fucking sniveling! " Angel growled, pulling her from her shocked and grieving state. Buffy wiped the tears from her face and breathed deeply to calm herself. When she had finally calmed enough that her sobs were few and far between, Angel asked if she had her car keys with her. She nodded.

"Well, get them out of your bag then! How can I drive your bloody car without them? "

"Okay! Okay! " she mumbled while diving her hands into her pocket to get them. Once she had them Penn snatched them from her hand and went back to ignoring her. Angel loosened his grip on her, which she was grateful for. Buffy could already feel the bruising starting to come out on her arms where he held her. She wasn't foolish enough to think that she would be able to get away once the elevator opened though. One of them, yes, but not both and not while they were both armed. She wasn't that stupid.

The lift opened and the three of them stepped out into the car park. Penn went first and automatically made his way to her car. As he got close , he pushed the central locking button and held the rear door open for Angel and she was in, he got in the drivers seat and started the a brief look beck at Angel in the rear view mirror, he pulled out and drove them back to the mansion.

Upstairs, Spike was in his office ,sat at his desk staring at the file and had let her down and Angel had taken her again. His anger thrummed under his skin making it feel too tight. It was at that moment that Lindsay walked into the office, so fast that a breeze lifted papers on the desk, bringing Spikes attention to the file and his foolish haste to get Buffy back, Angel had left the evidence spoke and Spike looked up at him, all the anger and pain were there in his eyes. It made Lindsay pause for a second before he repeated what he had said.

" The police are on their way. They say that they can treat this as an abduction. "

"Get. Out! "

Lindsay took a step closer to the desk.

"I said. Get. Out! "

"Look, this isn't my fault. I didn't... "

Spike looked up from his desk, rose to place his hands flat on the wood and leaned forward, his jaw ticking as he tried to control the fury that had risen up with his words. "If you finish that sentence with ' know it was him, I swear I'll come over there and rip you a new one! You knew! You saw the photographs in the file. You knew it was him! "

" I.... "

"Anything happens to her I swear to God... Just go Lin, before I do something I regret! "

Lindsay left in the same rush that he had come into the office. Spike watched the door close before he sunk back in his chair. His hands gripped the arms of the leather chair until the studs popped and the leather tore. His knuckles cracked from the pressure being exerted on them and Spike winced. The pain felt good.

Penn got out of the car and opened the back door. Without caring, he pulled Buffy from the rear of the car by her already bruised arm. She looked up to see Faith stood at the top of the steps, smirking. Angel got out of the car and straightened his suit air seemed calm , though she knew by experience that he wasn't. He was waiting, biding his time until they were alone.

"Is the other car ready? " He asked Faith. His eyes wandered down the brunettes body and then he looked back down at Buffy.

"Sure is, Boss. So, where will you take her? You know the cops will be here soon? "

Angel held Buffy tight to him and started walking them both towards the house. Penn looked over his shoulder, down towards the gates and then followed Angel into the mansion. Buffy was first through the door, with Angel a close second. Faith followed with Penn.

" I know! " He snapped back at Faith. "I know they will, which is why I want a car ready. "

Penn answered. "Look I know this situation is bad, but Faith didn't cause it. " Penn's eyes fell on Buffy. "Take your anger out on the person to blame for it, not the innocent bystanders. "

Buffy cringed as Angel squeezed her arm tighter and pulled her into the kitchen. As he walked he shouted back at Penn, " I intend to. " A feeling of dread fell heavy in her stomach and she felt panic rise. If the police came after they had left the mansion then she doubted they would find her.

Angel opened a drawer that was in the unit to his right and pulled out a pair of cuffs. Her hand was pulled sharply behind her back, she felt the cold metal against her wrist a moment before Angel closed the cuff tight. He pulled at her other wrist and for a moment Buffy resisted until she looked into his eyes, she knew that he would hurt her if she didn't allow him to finish restraining her. Buffy gave in and winced again as the other cuff was closed securely. Once Angel had cuffed Buffy, he took a set of car keys from Penn and picked up a brief case and leather laptop bag.

Penn took her arm and pulled her towards the patio doors that lead out onto the decking beside the pool. He walked her towards a large garage and once they reached it, opened a door in the wall and pushed her forwards. Angel followed and hit the central locking button, opening the doors so that Penn could put her in the car.

"I want you to let me know the moment the police arrive. I'll know how long I have before they scramble the helicopters and cars. "

"What about the lawyers? Want me to take care of them? " Penn asked

"No. I got what I wanted. If you do a hit on them then it will just draw more attention on us and they'll know who did it. I need you too much to risk you getting jailed for their murder. They can't touch me. The only thing the police have me for is kidnapping. I'm an upstanding member of the community, most I'll get is a slapped wrist. A lot of influential people use my... services. They'll see that all this is cleared for me. But you murder the lawyers and that will draw more attention and I won't, can't make that go away. "

Penn nodded and Angel got into the drivers side. He put Buffy's seatbelt on for her and then fixed his own. Once they, he, was settled , he started the engine. The garage door automatically opened and he drove out at speed, dust rose and billowed up behind the car as he drove down a track at the back of the estate.

Buffy turned in the seat and felt something hard dig into her thigh. Her cellphone. Her heart raced and hoped that Angel didn't check her when they got to their destination. At that point, it was the only thing that kept her from breaking down. She hoped the battery had charge left in it. Angel pulled left and followed another dirt road. With no idea where he was taking her and nothing around to clue her into their direction, she knew it was going to be hard for the police to find her.

Spike surveyed his ruined office and then grabbed his jacket and the evidence. He threw the door open and left his wrecked was stood talking to two police officers and what looked to Spike like detectives. He gazed at the men with Lindsay briefly before pulling Lindsay away sharply.

"What are you playing at? "

Lindsay looked back at the group of men apologetically and turned towards Spike. "Doing you a favor and talking to the police. What did you think I was doing? "

"Did I ask you to talk for me? No... so keep out of it! "

Lindsay stood and watched as Spike greeted the police and then held his arm out to guide them into an empty office. Spike took one last angered look at Lindsay before he closed the door.

"Gentlemen. " Spike suggested with his hand that they all take a seat at the conference table and sat himself at the head. They sat. " This man, " he threw a couple of photocopies of Angels photo, " has abducted my girlfriend, but the list of felonies this man has committed is long and quite a read. The whole situation started over five years ago when he first abducted my girlfriend and attempted to kill me. All the evidence for that is here, in this file. I'll have my secretary run you copies, and also on this tape. I have made a copy for myself. "

Spike passed the file over to the detective closest and sat back in his chair as they read through it. After a few minutes the detective passed it to his associate and leaned against the table, his elbows rested on the table and his hands were clasped together under his chin.

"So if this is all fact, Mr? "

" William Pratt. " He answered, his face blank. He really wanted to get through this as fast as wanted, no, needed, to be out there looking for Buffy. If anything happened to her then he'd never forgive himself. Or Lindsay for that matter.

"Mr Pratt, if this is all fact then why hasn't this, Angel O'Connor been brought to our attention before now? "

"He's 't under-estimate him. He has plenty of men working for are bodyguards, others he uses as hitmen. He has several houses that he keeps his 'women' in. He has gambling houses, drug factories.... the list is endless. "

The detectives and policemen raised their was going to be more than an abduction case. It was possibly the largest case that they would have had. Ever.

" Your associate said that there was a mutual friend, a Miss MacClay here? Wasn't she Miss Summers social worker? "

"Yes, that's right, she was. Buffy, Miss Summers has been in contact with her recently and I believe Tara has also managed to get evidence that Angel had been blackmailing the Manager of the children's home that Miss Summers attended. "

The detectives looked at each other, communicating silently between each one that sat opposite Spike nodded and then the 'talker' returned his attention to Spike. "Could you ask her to come in please. "

Spike nodded too and stood up, moving quickly to the door and poked his head caught the sight of the receptionist and waved her closer. "Can you ask Miss Tara MacClay to come in please. " She rushed off to do as she had been asked. Spike caught a glance across the hall and locked eyes with had the good grace to act sheepish and continued talking to the officer that was taking his statement. Spike went back in to the board meeting room and took his seat again. The detectives were talking quietly between themselves .The officers sat looking at the view out of the window, Spike looked out as well and tutted. His mind was racing, the main thought repeated over and over. 'Please God... let her be okay. '

Sitting in silence wasn't bothering Buffy, it wasn't the atmosphere either, it was having her arms trapped behind her and the damn handcuffs! No matter how she sat they dug in to her wrists and only stopped digging into her back when she scooted low in her seat. Every time she did that, Angel would pull her back up with one hand and glare at her. After that happening a few times, Buffy gave up and stared out of the window. Not that there was much to see. He had joined a busy freeway and had long since turned off onto yet another dark road and being as it was now night, the only light was from the cars headlights. They didn't exactly clue her in as to where the hell she was.

She felt the car slow and looked out of the front screen and then at Angel. He simply smiled and indicated to go sunk back in her chair and huffed. It was just another road. It occurred to her now that his anger seemed to have dissipated somewhat, even though the atmosphere in the car was heavy. She too, had calmed down and for some weird reason, wasn't scared . Maybe it was stupid and she should be. Her only anxiety was over Spike and how he was feeling right now. He was probably going out of his mind with worry. She had told Angel she needed a restroom, in a bid to get him to pull over at a service station. He had, but had kept her cuffed and had followed her into the toilet and proceeded to watch her. Buffy's plan to call Spike and let him know that she was fine and that they were heading west, had backfired. Now she waited until they got to wherever he was taking her to do it. Hopefully there would be a sign or Angel would tell her where they were before she called in the calvary.

Again the car slowed and this time, it stopped.

"Stay there. " Angel said as he got out and walked to the front of the car and towards a large gate. He took out a bunch of keys and opened the padlock and then swung the wide gate open before returning to the car. Once they were through the gate, he got out and did the reverse actions on the gate, locking it securely behind them.

"We're here. "

Buffy looked out at a large house, old. The sandstone had turned that sickly green/brown through age and the windows were huge. Lights dotted a room here and there to show that someone else was here too. That didn't sit well with Buffy and a new wave of panic filled her and made her breathing speed up.

Angel got out and came to her side of the helped her out of the seat. It hurt and she hissed as he pulled yet again, on her bruised arms. The pain from being sat against them was sharp and intense. Angel walked them to the front door and opened it using the same huge bunch of keys. Once inside, he led her straight upstairs. The house was pretty, obviously Victorian by the look of the decor and rugs that littered the floors. Angel stopped outside a room and opened the door, ushering her in and closing the door again.

"This is our room. I'll take the cuffs off soon after we discuss your actions earlier today. Now sit! "

He pushed her shoulder, making her wince and fall back onto the bed. Using her stomach, she managed to stop herself from falling all the way and sat with her feet over the edge of the bed. It made her feel like a child she was sat waiting for 'daddy' to chastise her.

Angel paced the length of the bed and glanced at her as she wiggled to get a comfortable position. He mussed his hair and stopped ,making her look up at him. She looked worried, good. She looked lost, even better and , oh god, she was crying.

"Stop that! "

"I... can't! " she choked out.

Angel growled and turned from her. "You have two minutes to stop or else. "

"Okay.. okay... " she panted as she tried to get her tears to stop and calm herself down. After a few deep breaths Buffy managed to stop the tears and had control of herself. Angel turned back to her now and let out a sigh of his pulled the antique parlour chair over to sit in front of her and put his feet up beside her on the bed. His arms folded across his chest and he narrowed his eyes as he began to speak.

"What you did was not only stupid, but has probably got me into a situation that is awkward. Now I will have to call in favours with the Judge and members of the judicial system that I would rather not bother. No doubt the little lawyers called the police which means I have very little choice. "

That made Buffy look up at him again. Did that mean that no matter how much evidence she had against him, he could buy or blackmail his way out of it all? Shit! This was something Lindsay and Spike needed to know. Now! If only she had known before. She could have found out which members of the police and judicial system were in Angels pockets.

" Penn is busy sorting out this fiasco you caused and will let me know when it is safe to return home. Until then, we stay here at my mothers. "

At least she knew where she was now. It wouldn't be hard for the police and Spike to find her now. If only he would shut up talking and fall asleep so that she could ring Spike.

"So, what do I do with you ? Hmmm? Tell me why you had to do what you did? Was it so bad? "

Buffy rolled her shoulders to remove some of the discomfort and looked at him again. " You think that it's easy? It's not! You killed my parents! You kidnapped me and beat me until I did exactly what you wanted. You keep me as your whore and sell my body like it's... it's your possession! I hate you! I hate what you make me do and I hate that you touch me! Was it bad? No... it wasn't bad. It was worse. So much so, that all I could think about was getting away from you, it didn't matter how. "

Angel smirked. "Didn't do you any good, did it. "

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. Ask me, why I was at my fathers law firm. Aren't you even curious? " His eyes gritted her teeth as she spoke, "Yeah. You think I was just there to hide? That I was just telling them that some bad man kidnapped me all those years ago? "

Angel removed his feet from the bed and sat forward. The vein at his temple began to tick and his jaw tensed. She knew he was about to strike her, but her temper raged and she couldn't hold back. The years of torment, hurt and pain that he had inflicted, were venting.

"For months I have been collecting evidence against of all the drug running and the murders you and your men have committed. Names of all the girls you brought from children's homes , illegal I might add, and put to work as your whores. Everything you have done, I have evidence of.I even have you confessing to the murder of my parents on tape. All of it is now in the hands of lawyers and by now, the police. Still think your untouchable? "

She smiled, almost laughed at the look upon his face. The untouchable Angel O'Connor was scared. Panic played across his face and he sat down heavily in the looked at her and his anger started to bleed through the panic. He stood and rushed her, knocking her onto her back. His breath was hot and heavy on her face as he pinned her down by her shoulders. His hands wrapped around her throat and Angel squeezed. Buffy thrashed as his hands tightened around her throat and began kicking out, knocking the chair over, but missing her intended target. No matter how she tried, she couldn't shake him off or bring her knees up enough to connect with Angel.

He was getting off on this! He was hard against her while he choked the life from her body. Buffy's eyes rolled in her head. Her head felt huge and it felt as if every vein and pulse was about to burst from the pressure. This was it, this was how he would finally beat her. This was how she would die.

Her lungs burned as they tried desperately to draw air from her narrowing airway. Her mind was numbing, her vision impaired and it felt like her heart was trying to beat itself out of her expected this to be it as her sight faded to black and her eyes closed.

Her eyes snapped open and tried to focus but he was too close. Sensations finally broke through the haze. He was kissing her. And she was apparently kissing him back. He broke to let her breathe and laid his forehead against hers. He looked down at her and she laid beneath him, stunned. He had tears in his eyes. It was too much .

"Get off of me! "

He frowned and hesitated before he rolled off her. "What? Whats wrong? "

"This... " she croaked and cleared her throat . "This is wrong, so wrong! You think you can try and kill me and then act as if it was foreplay and have that.. that look on your face. You can't attempt to kill me and then... "

"I love you. " He said. His face had softened and his hand reached out to touch her.

Buffy pulled back from his out stretched hand. "My God! " she whispered, "You do. "


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15.

"You don't believe me? " He seemed so insecure and hurt, but with an under current of anger. Angel looked vulnerable as he sat beside her on the bed.

"How can I? After everything you have done to me! You've just tried to kill me! That isn't love, Angel. "

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't ... I'm sorry. "

Buffy shook her head in disbelief. This can't be happening. Was he out of his mind? Or maybe she was... Maybe she was still out cold and this was all some bizarre vision - slash - dream she was having. She shook her head again and frowned at him. "You can't .. you don't love me Angel, you're just scared of losing me. You know how much trouble you're in and are trying to convince me you love me so that I either drop the case against you, or stay with you in a vague hope that I feel the same way. " At his hopeful eyes she quickly added, " I don't. I'm sorry. "

It was Angels turn to shake his head. "I do, Buffy. I know it may not feel like it, with everything I have done to you.I'm not tying to convince you so that I'm not punished for what I've done. You have no idea what my life is, was like. "

Buffy kept quiet and listened to him. In truth, she simply didn't know what to say to him.

"Darla found me when I was young, only seventeen, and took me under her wing. At first I was treated well, she dressed me up in style, gave me things that I had always wanted. She was twenty six, beautiful, rich... most of all, she was powerful. I was drunk on her and I was naive. I wanted to please her, I let her mould me into what she wanted, needed me to be. "

"She made you the man you are today, is that what you're trying to say? "

"Yes. "

"Bullshit! " Buffy said, angered. "She wasn't there when you killed my parents, when you raped me. Darla wasn't there for a most of what you put me through. Where is she now? "

He looked down at her, still laying on the bed. "Trust me when I say it was her. It was Darla and her boss. This, all of this, is bigger than just may not have been there but she was pulling the strings. She's on her way back to LA now. She was in London with the other man. When she saw you and how I was about you, she left to be with him. I know there are rumors that I had her killed and I let them carry on. "

"Why didn't you try and get away from her and tell the police? "

"I tried once and she found out. Darla said I was in too deep and that if I told the police, I'd be the one that would 'go down' for it all. I believed her. "

The last of her anger was dying. If what he had said was true, then he was a victim too. Not as much as she was, but one all the same. "Can you take my cuffs off now? "

Angel hesitated. He looked at her, probably weighing up the pro's and cons of letting her out of them, then took the bunch of keys back out of his pocket. He leaned behind her and winced. Her wrists were raw and bruised. He rubbed across the marks gently with fingertips, making Buffy look over her shoulder at him. "Your wrists are bruised.I'm sorry. " She didn't answer him, but looked away as he unlocked the first cuff. The relief was instant and Buffy slowly drew her arm around so that she could look for herself. It looked bad and her shoulder felt as though it was dislocated as she rotated it. Angel took the cuff off of her other wrist and then slid off the bed and knelt before her.

"I am sorry Buffy, for all of this. "

Buffy looked down at him, the pain and discomfort there in her eyes for him to see. "Let me get something to fix up your wrists. " Angel stood, grabbed the keys from the bed and left the room, locking the door after him. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes when she heard his footsteps get farther away. With one last look at the door, she took her cell phone out of her pocket, hissing as the opening rubbed her wrist, and dialed.

"Morgan , Summers and McDonald. "

"I need to speak to Spike... William.... " Buffy watched the door and listened for Angels heart raced and her breathing was shallow and fast.

"I'm sorry, but Mr Pratt seems to be out of his office. Is there anyone else that I can put you through to? "

"Lindsay.. MacDonald.. Hurry please! "

After a few seconds, which seemed so much longer, the receptionist announced that he too, was out of the office. "Do you have Mr Pratts home number? " Buffy asked. The receptionist read out a number and Buffy hung up immediately. After repeating the number over and over as she dialed it, she finally pressed the call button. It rang.

Spike slouched on his couch, a bottle of Jack hung in his tie was loose and twisted, his shirt untucked. He looked over at where his phone sat when it rang. He stared at it blankly and then, as if it finally penetrated through his alcohol induced haze, he slowly got up.

"Alright, I'm bloody coming... " he reached it and snatched it out of its cradle. "What? " he barked, expecting it to be either Lindsay again , or the police.

"Spike? Is that you? " she whispered.

"Buffy? Where the hell are you? Are you alright? "

"He has me at his mothers house.I don't know where it is.. it was dark and there wasn't any signs.. "

"Has he hurt you? Please tell me you're okay, love. " His voice broke with the emotions he was trying to keep in.

"I'm fine.... I have to go... Just, Spike.... find me.... I love you. " She hung up

Spike stared at the phone and closed his eyes. The relief he felt was momentary before panic kicked in and he pressed the end call button and cut the dial tone off. He walked to the couch and pulled his discarded jacket towards him, diving his free hand into the pocket. The detectives card. He turned it over and punched in the number.

Buffy had just enough time to put her phone back in her pocket before the door swung came in carrying a bowl of what she assumed, was his arm was a white towel and he had a bag hanging from his fingers. Angel dropped the bag beside her on the bed and placed the bowl on the bedside table. "Lets take care of your wrists? "

It was only a small smile, but the smile she gave him encouraged him. Buffy held her hands out to him and he took a cloth out of the bag and soaked it in the bowl. "This might sting. " Buffy winced as the solution ran over the cuts and bruising and tried to pull her hand out of his grip. He smiled. "Don't be such a baby, " he said.

"I'm not! " she growled, "It hurts! "

The guilty look was back on his face. "Sorry. "

"Will you stop saying that! You aren't sorry. Not for any of it. "

He patted her wrists dry and looked back into the bag, pulling two wrapped bandages out after a few seconds. Buffy watched as he finished caring for her wounds and packed everything back up. He went to the adjoining bathroom and put the bag away and then emptied the bowl. He looked out of the door at her, she fidgeted on the bed and checked the job he had done with the bandages. He smiled sadly. "How about a bath? It will help you to relax? "

"I'm fine and I doubt that it would relax me. I doubt anything would relax me right now. "

"Not with me here, is that it? "

Buffy gave him a knowing look.

"You've been naked in front of me before. "

"That was different. "

"Because you had to? "

She nodded and looked down into her lap.

" Let me go and run you a bath. " Buffy looked up at him and watched as he walked back into the bathroom, his voice hollowed once he was in the smaller room, " You can push the door to so that I can't see anything when you undress.I'll unpack you some fresh clothes while you bathe. "

She still didn't trust him. "My wrists? " She held up the freshly bandaged wounds as if to remind him and then dropped them back in her lap. "I'll be alright. I'll take a bath in the morning, hopefully by then they would have healed enough. He nodded.

"Are you hungry? Want anything? "

Buffy opened her mouth to say 'to go home' but changed her mind at his look. It was as if he could read her mind, or the look on her face and it stopped her. She shook her head ,no.

"Then we should try and get some sleep, we've had a long day. I don't know if it's just me but I'm tired. Buffy watched as he started to undress and a new wave of panic set in. He was going to stay in the room, in the same bed as her. When he was down to just his underwear, she swallowed hard. He walked to her and reached out to take her foot in his hand and she froze.

"Don't look so scared, I'm just taking your shoes off. You want to be comfortable, don't you? "

Buffy just stared at him, unsure of what to say or do. She didn't want him to undress her. Buffy knew that the police, and whoever else would rescue her, couldn't be that much longer and the last thing she wanted, was them rushing in and catching them not, and not with them both naked. It would hardly look to them like she was a kidnap victim. After all, who slept nude and all cosy like that if they fear their abuser?

"I'd rather keep my clothes on. "

Angel showed the first signs of anger since they had first arrived. He stood up from his crouched position at her feet and walked away. "I am not going to lay beside you while you wear clothes. I want to feel you against me, naked, your skin against mine. Just once more. I know that I don't have long before the police find us. "

"Angel , I ... "

"Please... " he pleaded. He walked back to the bed slowly so as not to spook her, and knelt beside the bed. His arms wound around her waist as he buried his head in her lap. "Please Buffy, just one more time, let me make love to you as I should have. "

Buffy looked down at him, a mix of fear, panic, nausea and pity flooded her and she sighed out loud. He looked up at her, seeing the wealth of emotions there in her eyes and face. "Fine, stay dressed if that is what it takes for you to feel safe. " he bit out. He went to the other side of the bed and got under the covers. She looked at him over her shoulder and was grateful that his back was towards her. He was right, she was tired. Buffy's wrists were sore and her shoulders ached from being held back for too long. Sleep was not going to be easy tonight.

After sitting on the bed in the same spot for over ten minutes, Buffy finally stood and went to the bathroom. Angels eyes looked toward the bathroom door and saw it was left slightly ajar. He smiled, satisfied that she would at least be coming to his bed soon.

The detectives arrived at Spikes home soon after he made the call. Adrenaline was making him edgy, restless and Spike couldn't stop he did, he bounced on his toes and rocked on his feet. The detectives had all the information he had, there was nothing else he could give them and yet, they still asked questions, wrote down anything he said and were still there. Finally after two hours, one of the detectives got his cell phone out and gave the info to someone else. When the call had ended he came and stood beside Spike.

"The station has passed this all on to the F.B.I.. now. It's out of our hands. Based on everything you have told us, we think there is a possibility that he might try and flee the country, with or without her. "

The detectives tone hid nothing. Knowing Angels track record for murder, they thought it was possible that he would kill her and then flee. Spike suddenly felt the blood drain from his face and staggered to the nearest chair. He sat heavily into the leather seat and stared at the French doors. "She's fine... he wouldn't ... I heard her, she said she was fine. "

"I'm sorry Spike, we'll do our best to find her. The F.B.I.. will be here soon . Do you want us to inform Mr MacDonald? "

Spike shook his head without blinking or looking at the detective. "No... no .. I'll do it. "

"Okay then. " The detective looked at his partner and they both walked slowly away. They stayed in the kitchen, out of the way until the F.B.I. arrived.

Buffy walked back into the bedroom and turned all the lights out except for the one in the bathroom. Carefully, so as not to wake Angel, she slid under the covers and turned her back to him. She had wrestled with the choice of whether to take her clothes off, or keep them on. Deciding that her jeans were too uncomfortable to sleep in she took them off. Her top was warm and she had a strapped vest on, so Buffy took off her outer top , leaving her in a thong and strappy vest. It would have to do. Buffy just hoped it was enough to stop Angel from getting the wrong idea, but enough that it would appease him. Despite her fears that sleep would be evasive tonight, she soon fell asleep.

The F.B.I. arrived. A swarm of suits rushed into Spikes lounge and immediately one introduced himself as Matthews and flashed the badge.

" Sir, I'm Agent Matthews and this is Agent Stone, we will be as quick as we can but we need to ask you a few questions. We know you must have some for us , and we will answer them, but the faster you tell us what you know, the faster we'll find your girlfriend. "

Spike nodded. "I told the other detectives all I know, can't you just get the file from them? "

"That isn't how it works I'm afraid, " he smiled. "Make everyone's life a whole lot easier if it did. "

Spike smiled and nodded. "So, what do you want to know? "

Angel rolled over, one arm gripped her waist and the went under her pillow. His legs curled themselves around hers, pulling his front against her back. He breathed in the scent of her neck and hair and let out a sigh. His hand trailed lightly over her hip to the lacy edge of her thong and followed it round to her ass. Buffy's eyes screwed up tight and she swallowed hard. It was as if her heart was caught in her throat, making it hard to breathe. She lay still, trying to will away the sensation of having him a her back. The small thrusts his hips made pushed his hardness against her. Buffy tried hard to ignore the feelings that stirred within from his actions. Her body was betraying her and she knew he could tell. Her breathing got deeper and her heart raced , but more than that, she was getting wetter. He pulled the thong to one side and pushed thrust slid him through her moistened lips and hit that spot, perfectly. A small moan escaped her lips and she froze. He smiled, that knowing smile he got when he knew he was winning, and thrust harder against her hot ,wet flesh.

"Stop... please .... " she whispered. Her answer was yet another hard thrust that hit her clitoris, making her tongue slid out to wet his lips, bit down on the fuller lower lip as the head of his engorged member slid against her opening. His fingers gripped her thong and ripped it away from her body, leaving her exposed to him now. He watched as his cock slid through the gap at the apex of her thighs , watched as it became glossy.

"Turn over, onto your back. "

Buffy wanted to stay where she was, to not give him what he wanted, what he needed, but she knew that regardless of which way she laid, Angel would take what he wanted. If she refused, he would make it hurt. Slowly she turned onto her back and looked up at him. He looked down as his hand played at the hem of her vest. "Take this off. I want to see you naked under me. Want to see all of you. "

Buffy sat up and took off her vest and folded her arms across her chest. Angel knelt before her and took her hands, placing one on his chest, the other on his cock. He covered her hand with his and he hissed when he squeezed. Buffy looked up at him and stroked down his chest, passed the line of hair that lead to his manhood. Her hand gently stroked that soft skin behind his scrotum and came forward to cup his balls. Their joined hands stroked up and down his length, Angel held onto her shoulder to keep himself upright as his his began to thrust in time. Buffy watched as his face slackened, his lips parted and he closed his eyes, she then leaned in to lick at the head.

"Ahh, ... baby, so good. Take me in... all of me.. "

Buffy took the swollen head into her mouth, tasting herself on him and sucked hard, her tongue tracing the edge of his foreskin before running it along the slit. Angel cried out as she slowly took more in, sucking hard until she had him all the way in.

"So good.... I'm close ... "

It was his way of telling her to stop. In all the years she had been with him, not once had he finished off in her mouth. Buffy took him as deep into her throat as she could and swallowed around him. He gasped and cried out again before he took himself out of her mouth. He grasped her ankles and pulled her back down the bed, forcing her to lie down. He crawled up her body and laid above her, his hand probing her folds and finding her wet, so wet. Angel raised himself up on one hand and raised one of her legs up onto his shoulder.

"Want you so bad... going to make love to you... make it gentle, sweet baby ... You're going to feel it... make you love me... "

Buffy shook her head and opened her mouth to protest, but Angel chose that moment to enter head shot back, rolled as he pushed his way into her and stilled. She was still so tight, so hot that she burned and squeezed him. It was delicious and his cock throbbed, threatening to spill itself already. When he was sure that he was calm enough, Angel moved , pulling himself out of her slowly before pushing back in at the same pace. He dropped her leg and parted her legs further, watching as he thrust in and out. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her onto him, his hands wide enough that his thumb brushed against her clitoris, making her arch her back.

Buffy knew that by making the right noises, making the right moves, he would think she was close and rush to finish himself. She squeezed him tight and started to move with him, moaning out loudly and whispering his name. His arms stretched up along her body and gripped her shoulders, forcing her into his thrusts but it still wasn't enough for him. He scooped her up into his arms and held her against his chest while he knelt back on his one arm he held her against his chest while the other cupped and supported her ass. Buffy wrapped her legs around him and bounced when he thrust, making him hit deep.

"I'm nearly there.. so close, " he said breathlessly.

Buffy closed her eyes and held on, resting her head on his shoulder while he increased the pace. His muscles tightened around her and he thrust once, twice, before he cried out and fell forward onto the bed. His breath was hot against her neck as he lay above her, panting out the last of his orgasm.

He heard the sob that escaped her and rose far enough to look down at her. He stroked away the wet hair from her face. She looked like a sheep caught by the scared. "Why are you so upset? Was it not good? "

How could she answer him without him getting angered?

"It's about him, isn't it? The blonde lawyer? "

Maybe she didn't have to say anything. Buffy laid still and silent, not wanting to stir him up into an angered frenzy. Angel was still inside her, but soft now, so soft that he slipped from her without him having to move. Buffy grimaced at the sensation and it made him roll to her side, the side she was currently looking off to. Her eyes met his and she tried to look away.

"Don't look away, look at me, Buffy. " When Buffy looked at him he saw the anger and tears in her eyes. "You love him and that's why you can't love me? "

"Yeah, yeah I do. "

"And he was the one that you were running with that night I took you? " She nodded, her tears now flowing freely down her face.

Angel got up from the bed and picked up her to and his trousers. He handed Buffy her top, "Sorry, I kind of ruined your ... " At her look , he stopped. Buffy pulled the vest over her head as he sat down on the bed and pulled on his trousers. He stood to do the zip up and then went into the bathroom.

Buffy was amazed, this was a side of Angel that she hadn't seen. Was this the calm before the storm? She'd bet money on it. Now she wished she knew what was happening elsewhere and how long she had before the police arrived.

A/N:- Thank you so much for all the fantastic reviews! Each one has encouraged me to keep this story going! Please keep them coming.. Go on I dare ya! ;D


	16. Chapter 16

A/N :- Sorry it's been a while since I last updated but RL has been a l'il rough. But I'm back, and though this is only a short chapter, I'm working on the next one now. So.... Lets find out what Angel has up his sleeve next and what the F.B.I are doing about it....

Chapter Sixteen.

"We'll be in touch soon. Thank you again for your help and for the evidence. We will find her. "

Spike stood at his front door and shook Agent Matthews hand before turning and closing the door. The waiting was killing him. He scrubbed at his face with his hands and yawned. It had been a long night, not just because of the F.B.I. Even while answering questions and going over evidence, his mind had been on Buffy.

Dawn was fast approaching as he made his weary way up to his bedroom. Spike kicked off his shoes, not caring where they landed, and climbed up the bed. As his head hit his pillow, his arms drew the one opposite to him and hugged it close to his body. He leaned into it and breathed in still had her scent, her shampoo and perfume lingering from the night before. With a final yawn, Spike closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Agents Matthews and Stone sat at a long desk, other agents sat across from them, listening to the briefing. When Matthews threw them each a copy of the evidence, theirs as well as Spikes, they opened the manila folders and read. Stone looked at his partner and raised his brows and leaned in to talk privately.

"This is bigger than just O'Connor. If we catch him there is a chance the rest will go underground. "

Matthews nodded. "So we use him to draw them out. "

"How? We have to get the girl back. How the hell can we get her away from Angel without compromising the rest of the investigation? "  
"We get her to help. "  
Stone snorted, "Hasn't she been through enough? You saw the state of the boyfriend, do you really think he'll go for it? Would you? "  
"No, I would want her as far from Angel as I could get her. " After a pause he said, "Let me work something out. "

Stone looked around at the other men and women, still nose deep in the substantial file. He needed to catch everyone involved and fast.

Buffy had been woken by Angel coming back into the room. It wasn't that he was noisy, just that she had that sensation that rouses you from sleep, when you can feel eyes on you and it stirs something in your sub conscious...

She sat up on one elbow, looked at him with sleepy eyes and groaned.

"Morning, " he held up a store bag and smiled. "I took the liberty of going shopping for you. Only fair as I was the one that ruined your clothes. I hope you like them. Get up and shower, get dressed . I'll be back in a hour. "

He left without saying anything else, leaving Buffy confused and staring at the designer bag that sat just outside the bathroom door. Alone and knowing that Angel wouldn't return until her hour was up, Buffy got her phone out and dialed.

"Hmm? "  
"Spike? Did I wake you up? "  
"Buffy? That you? " He sat up and rubbed at his sore eyes.  
"Yeah, yeah it is. "  
"Are you all right? The F.B.I. are looking for you. We'll soon have you home now. "  
"I'm fine. " Buffy's voice wavered, enough that Spike doubted her.  
"Has he hurt you? " His voice was harsh, angered.  
"No, no worse than usual. It's what he said. Spike, I'm not sure he will let me go. Angel said he loves me. That is why he's done this. I'm scared he will do something drastic if you find me. "  
"The F.B.I. know what they are doing, they've done it countless times. You'll be safe Buffy, I promise. "  
"I still don't know where I am, but he went shopping for me this morning and the bag is from a boutique called Dante's. I hope it helps. I have to go. He wants me to get dressed for some reason. I love you. "

Spike choked back his emotions, clucked his tongue as he held back tears. "I love you too. " The line went dead.

Spike got up and went to the bathroom. He hoped that the boutique was a good lead and that it wasn't a chain. At least then the F.B.I. would have an area to search, narrowing it down so they could find her faster. Angels confession to her bothered him. Buffy was right, the man was unstable and they couldn't trust him not to do something out of desperation when they caught him.

Buffy sat on the bed, dressed in what Angel had bought her. She had to admit to liking the clothes and accessories. It was probably what she would have chosen herself. The door opened and Angel held out his hand.

"Come. I want you to meet someone. I know how you must feel about me and I know I have no right to ask, but please, when you meet her, could you act as though we are in love? "

The raw nerve of this guy! After everything....

"Please, " he pleaded. His usually harsh brown eyes softened.

" I guess, who are you taking me to see? " She was worried, nervous.

"Just come with me, you'll see. " He led her through the house and into a large drawing room. In a chair beside the fire, sat an elderly woman. Her grey hair was brushed smooth, her face was kind and her brown eyes were warm and homely. She wasn't frail, Buffy realized, as she stood and walked to meet them.

"Liam has told me so much about you, my dear. How lovely to finally meet you! "

Buffy stole a quick glance at Angel , mouthing his birth name. He smiled shyly and put an arm around her waist. His fingers dug into a rib, it was a warning.

"I..it's lovely to meet you to. "

"So shy. She is the beauty you told me she was. She will make a wonderful addition to the family. "

Oh my god! Buffy thought. She couldn't possibly be thinking that! What had he told his mum? The elderly woman carried on....

" At least you have stopped chasing that other woman, that... what was her name? Daria? "  
"Darla mum. I was a fool. Not now though, got me a real treat here. "

His mum made her way back to her seat and sat looking at her son with narrowed eyes. Perhaps she knew more than Buffy originally thought. The womans eyes fell on her and she blushed under her scrutiny. Angel lead Buffy to the couch that sat opposite his mum, his hand pushing her towards it. She sat down, Angel beside her, leaning in so he could wrap an arm around her and pull her closer. His fingers went back to digging into her rib. She'd bruise, of that she was certain.

"Has Liam told you what is to happen later? I know he wanted it to be a surprise. "

Buffy whipped her head round to look at him, frowning, wondering what he had set up. Worried as to what it could be. He smiled down at her. His mother and anyone else might mistake it for affectionate, Buffy knew different. It was his smug, 'I got you now' look. Shit!

"I haven't let slip even one hint, mother. As you have brought it up though, maybe it's time to tell her. "  
"A good idea if ever I heard one Liam. " His mother gave him a cold stare.

"Fine" he kissed Buffy's cheek and gave a quiet chuckle. She closed her eyes and held back the bile in her throat. That small laugh was one he used when he knew you would hate what came next, his triumph over you. " We're going to get married! "

Buffy couldn't believe it! Her ears rang, her head clouded and she had to shake herself to clear it.

"How, you're already married to... "  
"I told she left, filed for divorce, she is history. "  
"I can't... "

His mother sat and watched. Her eyes met Buffy's and there was knowledge there. An understanding. It was brief but Buffy had seen it. Here eyes pleaded with the older woman, but his mother just sat, not saying a word. This was what she had meant when she said that she'd make a wonderful addition to the family. Angels fingers dug into her arm and rib, making her whimper.

"I won't take no for an answer. You will do this or else. " He growled in her ear, "You think your precious lawyer is safe? I know where he works, where he lives, Buffy. One word from me and he'll end up dead. "

She felt sick, she paled and sat down, defeated. She knew that Angel always got what he wanted, by force if he had to. Buffy also knew his threats were rarely empty ones. Tears brimmed her eyes. She nodded and stood slowly. "When ? " Her voice was croaked and harsh, her throat threatening to choke her as she fought the tears and sobs.

"Now. Everything is set up. "

His mother stood again and followed them as Angel dragged her into the next room. The door opened and there stood Penn and another of his men, a woman in a yellow gown stood beside them, she turned her head, Faith.

The F.B.I. found the boutique, luckily it was the only one in the area and they now swarmed the small town. Spike was told and had driven up to meet them. They sat in a small diner, eating breakfast and discussing his part. Once they were satisfied, they got into their huge four by fours and drove off towards their rendezvous point. They had them, had him, at last.

Buffy shut out the room, shut out the noise, shut out the words the person behind the desk said. Angel increased the pressure on her arm and ribs and yet she couldn't care. Would her nightmare every end? She jumped as his voice echoed through her, his threat if she didn't say the words that the judge had asked her to repeat. Numbly, she complied. Buffy blinked slowly and looked across the room. Two large glass doors were opened out into the garden, she could see movement. Her eyes widened, the F.B.I. were there. Her heart sped and beat wildly in her chest. She looked up at Angel and then at everyone else. She was the only one that was aware of them. Buffy almost leapt out of her own skin as the small group started to clap and Angel gathered her in his arms. He picked her up, held her against his chest and kissed her neck.

"You're mine now. In every way. Now there is nothing your lawyer can do. "

A loud noise came from the front of the building and everyone turned in that direction. Angel gripped Buffy to his side and pulled out a gun. Penn and his other goon armed themselves and positioned themselves in front of their boss.

"Stay behind me, I'll protect you. " Angel pushed her behind him, closer to the glass doors.

Buffy looked behind her, saw her chance as the men swathed in black ran across the darkened lawn towards her. Angel ,Penn and the others were focusing on the assault from the front of the house, waiting for them to burst into the room. She hesitated, then with a burst of adrenalin and fear, she ran towards the F.B.I.

She looked over her shoulder, making sure that neither Angel nor Penn had noticed her absence, arms wrapped around her and took her down to the grass. The man in black told her to stay down and stayed on top of her, his gun trained on the group inside the house.

Buffy didn't know what was happening and wasn't sure if she even wanted to know. When the man above her whispered, 'keep your head down and cover your ears, ' she knew he had been given the all clear to fire.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N :- Thank you soooo much to everyone for the amazing reviews!! It really gives me a boost and encourages me to carry on when I read each one!

This chapter is a little angsty towards the end, sorry, but I promise to make it all better and get to the good stuff again soon! =)

I'll also like to warn you that I have a busy couple of weekends coming up. I will be away the weekend of the 24th April as I'm taking my daughter to a BtvS convention (red bull and maybe a l'il vodka will be consumed in vast quantities) and then again on the weekend of May 1st, as I am going to the James Marsters (drools) events for the whole weekend. I will try and push out chapters before them so you don't have a long break....

Chapter 17

Her eyes were tightly shut, yet blinked with each discharge from the gun that was held over her head. Her hands covered her ears and still she was deafened by the loudness. Her breathing was rapid to the point were Buffy swore she'd hyperventilate. Never had she been so scared.

The F.B.I. agent that pinned her down shouted something and she felt herself being hauled up and her feet buckle under her as he started to run back across the lawn. Disoriented beyond all else, it took Buffy a while to get her co-ordination under control enough to run too. At the edge of the lawn, under the cover of shrubs and trees, she was handed over to group of agents, who bustled her into a dark sedan and driven away at speed. Shaken, shocked and still confused, not to mention partially deaf, she sat there wondering what the hell was going to happen next.

Back at the house, Angel, Penn and the others were now cuffed and in the process of being lead out to vans. Police cars, plain cars with flashing lights and several ambulances lined the drive. Helicopters swung their lights over the house and buzzed low overhead. The F.B.I.. had really covered all areas in their quest. The easy part of the case was over, now the hardest part could be put in motion, depending on whether Buffy agreed. It also depended on Angel's co-operation.

Spike paced outside of the headquarters that the F.B.I.. were using as a temporary base. He had been restless, unable to sit still since they told him they were mobilizing units and would hopefully, with all being well, have Buffy back before dawn. He trod on the butt of the cigarette he had just finished and sighed. This was worse than anything he had been through before, including the first time Angel had taken her. At that point, he had his own rehabilitation from the near fatal gun shot to go through and that consumed most of his time and thoughts.

He shoved his hand into his trouser pocket and bought out the crumpled fag packet, seeing only three left, he hesitated at lighting another, then shook another cigarette out and lit it. His throat was tight and ached, mostly from the suppression of his emotions, but the amount he had smoked wasn't helping. He was so sunk in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed the young woman approach. Her hand touch him lightly on the arm, making him jump.

"Fuck! ... Sorry, didn't see you there. " Spike looked down as she held out a strong black coffee. Spike took it from her and smiled sadly. "Thanks. "

"It's fine, I saw you pacing and thought you could do with some refreshment. "

"Appreciate it, love. Any word? "

She shook her head and took a sip from her own coffee. She watched his face fall just a little more and felt a pang of regret that she had no news. She left him alone in his thoughts, hoping that they would have some news for him soon.

Spike watched out of the corner of his eye, glad that she had left him. It wasn't personal, he just didn't feel like having company at that moment. His mind was too occupied, he was too worried about Buffy to be anything but bad company himself.

Buffy sat huddled between two huge men, both dressed in black suits, guns in hand and looking ahead. The passenger in the front seat turned to look at her over the head rest and smiled.

"I trust you're not injured, Buffy? "

Buffy shook her head, a frown creased her brow. "No, who are you? Where are you taking me? "

"Sorry, my name is Hendrikkson, I'm F.B.I.. I hope you're not going to make me flash me badge, it's a tad cliche. " He smiled.

Smiling was the last thing Buffy felt like doing, despite his attempt at humor. "Where are we going? "

"We're going to take you to the hospital to get checked out, standard procedure. Then we'll be taking you back to the local police station. "

"I'm fine, I'm not hurt, there's no reason to take me to hospital. I just want this over with and see Spike. "

"Spike is waiting for you at the station, but if you prefer, we can get an agent to bring him to the hospital? "

Buffy nodded. She realized that they had to follow procedure. If it meant that she'd see Spike sooner, then she'd go along with their wants and wishes.

Spike sat down on the curb outside the station and hung his head, his hands ran through his hair and clasped at the back of his neck. Tension had set in and both his neck and shoulders ached with it. Heeled shoes clicked on the pavement and drew his attention. The woman who brought his coffee stood above him. She smiled.

"I've been sent out to get you. They've got your girlfriend and are taking her to the hospital to be checked over. They'll be bringing her back here once she's given the all clear. "

He smiled at her, albeit a tense one.

" One of the agents will be done in a few minutes to take you to her. They said that Henrikkson radioed in to say that she was kicking up a storm about going. The only way that could get her to agree to go to the hospital was to take you. Anyway, they'll be done soon. "

His smile widened, that was his girl. His feet shifted and he bounced on his feet. "Thanks love, well don't just bloody stand there, go and get the bloke that's taking me! "

She nodded and as she went back into the building, snorted. Why couldn't she find someone like him?

Buffy was in the center of the bulky men as they marched her into the hospital. Henrikkson had contacted the hospital and warned them that they would be bringing her in. Alerted that a high profile case was coming in, the hospital porters had cleared a private room ready for their arrival. As they entered the rear entrance, a wheelchair was brought out, Buffy was bundled into it and whisked down to the private room. Once inside, two men took posts outside and she was told to sit up on the bed. Henrikkson asked Buffy to strip off and change into the hospital gown. He explained that it was part of the procedure and might give them evidence. Buffy did as she was asked and sat back on the bed. The porter left and a doctor stepped forward. He introduced himself and started the checks. After her blood pressure and temperature was taken, the doctor took some blood and then examined her for any other injuries. He asked questions and she answered. Her eyes stayed on the door, hoping that Spike would walk through it at any moment.

She heard voices outside the door and her heart raced with anticipation. The door swung open and a whirl of black rushed in like a tornado. It snatched her up and pulled on her. She blinked and breathed then. He was there, really there and was holding her against the hardness of his chest. His hands soothed and smoothed down her hair and then her shoulders. He held her away from the sanctuary of his body and looked her over. His cool, moist lips kissed everywhere until finally, they met hers.

Buffy and Spike became aware of the audience when Henrikkson cleared his throat. Reluctantly, Spike stopped kissing her and turned his body towards the agents. Henrikkson introduced himself and explained that they would need to ask Buffy a few questions. Buffy leaned against Spike and yawned. Now that the excitement was over, the adrenalin was wearing off, leaving her exhausted. While Henrikkson felt for her, they needed to talk to her while her memories were still fresh.

"I'll try, but I'm tired and my heads a little fuzzy. "

"That's fine Buffy. We understand, but anything, no matter how small, could help us a lot. "

Buffy nodded and answered what she could. Henrikkson seemed pleased and left. The doctor gave Buffy the all clear and released her after a few F.B.I. arranged a hotel suite for them to stay in for the duration of the investigation. Of course they had guards staying with them, and two stationed outside the room, guarding the door.

Spike had been talking to one of the agents that had been at the first meet, Matthews, in the large lounge area while Buffy was in the gave Spike some medication that the hospital had provided and suggested that he give Buffy the sedatives so she could sleep.

She now stood at the end of the bed, looking at it. It had been the assumption that she and Spike would share the main bedroom while the others would bunk down wherever possible. Now though, fear and uncertainty gripped her.

Since Angel had kidnapped her again and then Spike had arrived at the hospital, everything had been a whirlwind. Now that life had calmed down and resumed it's normal pace, or as normal as it could get at the moment, everything hit her. She hadn't had a chance to tell them that technically, she was now married to the monster that had caused this whole situation. How was she supposed to tell Spike? Would he understand that it was beyond her control? That she had to do it or else he would be killed. She glanced over her shoulder as Spike walked into the room and shut the doors.

Spike stood with his back to the closed doors and just watched her. Buffy was looking at the bed and was obviously deep in thought. He longed to take her in his arms, to kiss her all over, hold her, make love to her and erase any trace of that evil son of a bitch. Matthews had spoken to him and mentioned that victims that had been through the same situation as Buffy, often shut down their emotions. He asked him to approach her and suggest counseling. Spike knew that Buffy had been strong before this, but seeing her now, it scared him. Maybe his girl did need help.

"Pet? "

She didn't show any response.

He inched closer until he was stood beside her, but a good step away. "Love? "

Buffy didn't look at him. Inside her heart was breaking. Her fear was that he would leave after she told him that she had allowed Angel to make love to her and that he had blackmailed her into marrying him. She was scared that Spike would walk away, saying that she wasn't worth it. That he didn't love her enough to go through it all.

Buffy wet her lips and closed her eyes as she prepared herself for the admission.

Spike could see the tension in her posture, he could see that something was troubling her and that she was trying to work something out. When he saw her wet her lips and close her eyes, he knew she was trying to tell him something. His nerves were frayed, his fear that she would end it, give up on them, rose.

"I ... " she started. His eyes lifted from the floor and watched as she tried to gather herself. "I have something to tell you. You might want to sit down. "

"I'm fine. What is it, love. " He saw her close her eyes again when he said 'love. ' It didn't look good.

" The first time he took me, I thought you were dead, that he had killed you. I had nothing to lose, except myself. I refused to do that, instead I stayed strong, gathered as much evidence against him as I could and waited until I could get away from him. "

Spike froze in lace and listened, not sure where she was going with what she was saying. His heart was pounding and his chest was tight.

" This time, I was weak. "

Spike closed his eyes tight as the emotions in her voice affected him and made him want nothing more than to hold her tight and sooth away all her pain.

" He told me he loved me. "

Pain shot through Spike, hit his heart and shook his whole being.

" He said that he would never let me go. He said that he would kill you if I didn't .... " Buffy sighed heavily and wiped tears away from her face with the heel of her palms. " I let him, let him make love to me. "

Tears welled up in Spikes eyes as she carried on.

"I hate myself for it, for letting him but what choice did I have? Do you know what was happening when they found me? " She saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eyes. " We were getting married. He had it all set up. The whole thing . Even his mother was there. " She gave a small laugh. " His mother liked me, can you believe that? "

Spikes eyes widened. Shocked, his legs felt weak and threatened to give way. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at her. Tears were now flowing freely down his face.

They both froze were they were, tears flowed down their faces and thoughts ran wild. The silence in the room was deafening and seemed to last forever.

Spike sniffed and let out an audible sigh. "Buffy, I.... "

She looked at him, held his gaze and silently pleaded with him to tell her that it was okay, that everything was all right.

"I love you , more than anything. The only thing I care about is you. That you're all right. Everything else can be sorted out. We'll find out if the marriage is legal and deal with it if it is... "

She nodded but still seemed distant. Spike rolled the sedatives around in his hand and then held it out to her. "The doc at the hospital gave Agent Matthews these for you. He said they'd help you sleep. Why don't you take them and get into bed,love. Maybe some decent rest will make you feel better. I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to. We'll talk in the morning and get everything sorted.

Buffy looked down at the bullet shaped pills and then looked at him. He looked so distraught. Guilt drowned her heart and mind, she wanted it to stop. She was exhausted and needed to sleep but knew that she wouldn't be able to naturally. Buffy took them from his hand and threw them into her mouth and then took the glass of water that he held out for her. She shuddered as she swallowed them and then drank the rest of the water. Spike took the empty glass from her and stood up, allowing her to slip under the covers. She turned her back to him and yawned. Feeling dejected, Spike went to leave. As he opened the bedroom door, Buffy shifted on the bed, he looked back at her and saw her looking at him.

"Don't go. Stay, please? "

He studied her before closing the door again. "You sure, pet? "

"I don't want to be alone tonight. I need you with me. "

Without anything else being said, Spike slipped his jacket and tie off, he sat on the end of the bed and removed his shoes and socks. He pulled his shirt over his head rather than unfasten each button and then unhooked the fly of his trousers. He got into the huge bed and laid beside Buffy without touching her.

Buffy waited until Spike was settled and then crossed the gap to lay against his side, her head on his shoulder, arm across his chest. Spike looked down at her and wrapped his arms around her protectively. It wasn't long before the sedatives worked and Buffy was breathing deeply in her sleep. The rhythm soon lulled Spike to sleep too, both wrapped around each other, safe at last.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N:- Sooo sorry for the long break... My muse dried up and refused to write, but I am back now. This chapter is a short one but that is because I wanted to do the trial in one hit. Not long to go now.....

Chapter 18

The morning did not change Buffy's mood. Her face showed her stress and the strain made her body rigid, her nerves frayed from everything she had been through. She stood in the bathroom, staring at the mirror but saw nothing. Her mind blanked and she stood motionless as Spike watched her from the bathroom door. His arms were raised, each one on either side of the doorjamb. His naked torso paled in the bright florescent lighting. He frowned as Buffy winced, obviously thinking about something unpleasant. Not surprising really, after everything she had been through at the hands of Angel.

"Do you think its really over now? "

Spike looked at her, not expecting her to have spoken. " I think so, everything except the trial. "

Buffy rinsed her face with cold water that she had collected in her palms and watched as the water dripped down into the sink. "I don't think I'm strong enough to go through that. "

Buffy dried her face on a soft towel and held it to her eyes, pressing it hard into the sockets in a bid to stop fresh tears from falling. Spike hung his head back and sighed loudly, knowing that she would back away from him if he did as he wanted, to take her in his arms and offer her protection .

" I think it best we find out what is going on, " she pushed passed him and walked back into the hotel bedroom to collect her clothes. He watched from his spot by the bathroom. " I mean, he could be getting off on some technicality and be coming for me... or, or .... I have to know! We don't know if any of his men got away. They could be coming for me as an act of revenge... "

Spike rushed forward and silenced her panic attack by crushing her to his chest. "No-one will hurt you again Buffy. I swear it. I won't let them. "

She breathed in his fresh from the bed scent, the one she loved on him. It was like warm muffins fresh from the oven, like everything that was comforting ....

" I've had enough, Spike. I can't do it. They'll have enough evidence to put him away for eternity without my testimony. I just want this part of my life over. To go somewhere and start again. "

"We will, love. We'll go wherever you want. "

Buffy sniffled against his chest and pulled away, looking up at him as she did. " But I can't, can I? I have to tell them everything. To sit in a court, seeing him there, watching me, while I tell them all, what he did, what he made me do. God.. I can't! "

Her tears fell as she clutched at his arms to keep herself upright as her legs started to sag under her grief.

" Shh, Shh... I got you Pet. " He swung her up into his arms by wrapping an arm under her knees and drew her to his midsection. Her arms clung to him as he carried her to the bed and laid her down and then curled around her sobbing frame.

How long had they been laying there, she didn't know. His hands stroked her back as she laid against his side, his other hand ran through her hair, his cheek rested against her head as he hummed something that soothed deep husky hum seemed to calm her and allow her to think logically and she came to a conclusion that she knew he wouldn't like. She hated it even more, but how else was she going to get the strength to go through the trial and anything else that could happen? How else could she protect him and find closure on her past?

Buffy cleared her throat as she raised herself up and away from his body. His eyes were eager, full of sympathy and an insecurity? Could he somehow tell? Did he know what she was about to suggest? That look made her even more determined to go through with it. She hated seeing that look in his eyes. She missed the raw and passionate Spike, the one that didn't pity her or feel as though she needed protection. She wanted to see his pulse beat hard and fast in his neck, hear his breathing rise to fast pants and for his eyes to shine and show the hunger he used to have for her. She wanted what they had had before Angel, and she knew the only way to get that back was if she left. If she went through the trial and put Angel behind bars for the rest of his life, alone. She needed to do it alone so that she could find herself, get her strength of character back and get past the even get some professional help, some counseling, whatever would help her once it was over. Buffy needed to do it so she could be His Buffy again. Only then did their relationship stand a chance.

"Buffy? "

She had been so deep in her own thoughts that Spike had frowned and sat up, now leaning in to her, one arm over her knees. Buffy looked at him and smiled, albeit sadly.

"We need to talk. " she said, her voice breaking emotionally.

Spike sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed and looked back over his shoulder. His eyes stung, preparing themselves for what his mind knew was coming.

"Just say it. "

"I have to do this alone. For me. I have to be strong and with you, I'm not. "

" All I wanted to do was .... "

"Look after me and take care of me, I know. It's not that I don't appreciate it, I do, but I don't want that. I want what we had, need it in fact. I want to be the Buffy I was, not Buffy the victim. "

Spike hung his head, his shoulders rounding as if to shield him from the hurt and pain she was inflicting on his heart. What good were they doing when he could still hear her? Buffy shuffled on her knees to his side and reached out, touching his shoulder, making him flinch away from her and rise from the bed.

" I'm not sticking around for the ' its not you it's me speech, Buffy. It's over, you need space, you got it. You ever need me, you know where I'll be. "

With tears hugging his lashes and his throat dry and painful with his need to cry and his anger, Spike stormed from the bedroom. Buffy sat frozen on the bed as the bedroom door slammed shut, the man she loved above all else walking away from her.

And suddenly she had no strength, she was empty, her heart and soul had left her the second he had. The muffled shout and another door slamming told her that that was it. He had truly gone. Buffy melted into the covers that still smelled of him and cried until her lungs burned, her throat was raw and her tears had all but dried up.

The bar was dingy, dirty and smelled of stale beer and dust, but that was fine by him. Spike knocked back another whisky and grimaced. He had been here long enough and had drank enough that he had become numb. He had felt anger, frustration, hatred and every other emotion towards her and now he was just numb. Spike pulled out another twenty and threw it onto the beer wet bar, the barman refilled the empty glass and walked away.

A brunette watched him, saw the array of emotions roll across him and bided her time. He was cute and had an aura that radiated danger. Just how she liked them. The freshly dumped ones were always the same. All the hurt and pain made for a man that was rough, yet had something to prove. The sex with them was always the best and now she just had to have him. Deciding that he was no doubt drunk enough now, she made her move.

A light tapping made her lift her head and look at the double doors. One of the doors opened a fraction and the head of one of the officers peered into the room. Buffy groaned internally and flopped back on the bed.

"What? "

"Its time we took you to the station so you can make your statement. "

"Just give me a minute will you, please. " Buffy answered.

"Okay. "

The door shut quietly and Buffy wiped at her face. What was the point of sending Spike away if she was going to sit on the bed and wallow? With a deep breath in through her nose, she got off the bed and rushed to get dressed. It took her ten minutes to get herself together and get dressed, but when she opened the bedroom door, she panicked.

Why or how, did she think she could go through this without Spike by her side? Her heart raced, her whole body shook and she felt sick. As if her subconscious had taken over, Buffy pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial.

The woman crawled over him, pushed his jacket from his arms and kissed him hard again. Her lipstick smeared on his cheek as Spike tried to pull away. Her hands slid down his chest, her nails digging into his flesh as she did. Hands grappled with his belt and he felt his trousers hit his ankles.

He let out a gasp as her hot lips surrounded his half erect cock and slid up and down.

"Fuck... " he hissed as she sucked hard on an upstroke and used her tongue to trace the head. Spike closed his eyes and saw the broken face of his love, tears streaked her cheeks and she asked him why?

"I can't . " Spike pushed on the top of the strangers head, intending to ease her away from him, but she slid down his shaft harder, making his eyes roll and his hips thrust automatically. "Stop! I can't do this..... "

Spike pulled away and managed to get his trousers up and fastened before the brunette had gotten to her feet. Her face was easy to read. Shock that Spike had resisted her and the underlying hurt pride. She wiped off the rest of her lipstick and saliva with the back of her hand.

"Why not? Was I not good? I know I was good.... "

"It's me, love, not you. "

The brunette laughed. "That old line.... "

Spike picked up his jacket and hung it over one arm. He hated to look at the woman again but couldn't stop himself. He met her cold hard gaze, " I'm in love with someone, always have been, always will be. She doesn't deserve me doing this, here with you. "

Spike turned and walked out the door. The brunette stood against the door and smiled. " She's one lucky lady. You take care of her. "

That was what he intended to do. He just needed her to allow him that chance. Spike threw his jacket onto the passenger seat and slammed the car door. The engine revved and he shot off into the night leaving the brunette stood watching his tail lights.

The brunette closed the door just as a cell phone started to chirp out its ringtone. She bent at the end of the bed and picked it up.

"Hello? "

A pause

"Hello? "

"Ah... Is this Spikes phone? " Buffy frowned. Why would a woman be answering his phone?

"Yeah, blonde honey? Dresses like a lawyer? He just left, must have forgotten to pick up his phone. "

Buffy swallowed hard and cleared her throat. " What do you mean he just left? "

The brunette sighed and smirked. Wounded pride would get it's own back. It was obvious to her that this was his love. " He picked me up in a bar and took me home.... I'm sure you can work out the rest yourself. "

The phone slipped from Buffy's hand, closing the clamshell as it hit the floor. Stunned, Buffy walked out of her bedroom and picked up her purse. She only nodded when she heard one of her guards ask her if she was ready to go. She made the journey to the police station in silence, not taking in any of the scenery that they passed.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"Buffy! Buffy love, where are you? "

Spike rushed into the apartment and slammed the door as he called out to her. The bedroom door was left ajar and he could see the rumpled sheets and wet towel on the floor. As he pushed the door open to walk through, he kicked something and noticed her cell phone. He frowned as he bent to pick it up. She wouldn't leave without it. Curious, he flipped it open and saw the last call listed there. Then he noticed the time. Wondering why he hadn't heard his phone, he reached for the pocket he usually kept it in, and found it gone.

His heart stopped then thudded in his chest hard as he came to the conclusion of what must have happened.

"Fuck! " He growled and ran to the door.

The guard in the front passenger seat got out as the car slowed to a stop and opened the door for her. He held his hand out to help her but she ignored it and slid from the car. The three men surrounded her , one spoke into a radio, the other two took an arm each and escorted Buffy into the station.

The building was a huge grey box that had the occasional window upstairs. Buffy looked up briefly as she walked up the grey concrete stairs and noticed a man staring at her from one of the windows. He turned his body but kept looking down at her as she entered. The cold blast from the air conditioning broke her from her daze and Buffy let her eyes adjust to the bright lighting inside. A mousey looking woman with 1950's style glasses looked up and smiled. It wasn't returned and she pulled a file out from a drawer under her desk and handed it to Agent Matthews. He smiled once at the woman and then with a quick tilt of his head, lead the way to the interview rooms.

People littered the hallways, some in cuffs, some just stood against walls. It was easy for Buffy to see which were Agents or Detectives by the way their jackets hung, hiding their weapons obviously. Matthews stopped outside a room and opened the door, allowing Buffy and the other Agents in first and then closing the door behind himself. He threw the file onto the table and loosened his tie.

"Sit down Buffy and make yourself comfortable. Can we get you anything before we start? "

"No, " she croaked. Buffy cleared her throat and repeated herself. "No. I'm fine. " She sat down and the two agents went and stood at the back of the room, each on a corner of their own. Matthews started the tape machine

Matthews sat down and flipped the front of the file open and read a few lines. He looked up and smiled.

"It seems you have had a long drawn out association with O' Connor. How old were you when you first met him? "

Buffy looked down and her hands then back up. "I was seventeen. "

" It says here that your father got involved with him, loans, gambling, drugs and whores, is that right?

Buffy swallowed hard and tried to hide the disgust and pain it caused her to remember how this all started. She hissed out a yes.

" You said that it was O' Connor that killed your parents. "

"It was. " Her voice held an edge of sadness to it.

Matthews sympathized but had to ask, " Tell me what you remember of that day. "

One of the other agents cleared his throat making Buffy look at him as she fought off her tears. Swallowing hard, Buffy recalled that day with perfect clarity.

""I'd just come home from cheer leading practice and had walked into the lounge.A tall man stood holding my father by the throat, my Mum was on the floor at his feet.I ran in screaming and I tried to hit him and get him to let him go .My Dad told me to run, to get out, but I stayed there frozen .The man looked at me, this look of ... I don't know... he had this look of absolute rage on his face, yet his eyes were laughing as though he was enjoying saw me and let go of my father. That was when he grabbed me and pulled me to his chest, I struggled to get away, but he held me too tight.I felt his body rub against me, felt his erection rub against me and he licked my face. "

Buffy sighed, Matthews handed her a box of tissues, which she took and wiped away her tears.

"He told my father that he would kill him and keep me as his. Angel said that I would be a gold mine.I struggled to get out of his hold, but it was laughed at my attempts and told me to keep it up and that he would get an asked me if I had ever been fucked before. My parents, their faces were full of fear as they sat on the floor, loathing him for what he was doing to me, to reached out to him and begged him to do it to her, not me, but he laughed. Angel said, "Why would I want you? You're used up...Your daughter is fresh, never even been kissed I bet." He ground his hardness into me as he raised his gun and told them to remember the rules. My parents sat there and had to watch him...... "

A noise from outside the room broke everyone's concentration.

"What happened next, Buffy? " Matthews asked in a strained voice.

Angel threw me onto our couch and came at me. He opened his trousers and took off my cheerleader glanced over his shoulder and smirked at my father before grabbing my hair and kissing me hard. I pushed against him, struggled to get free but he threatened to shoot my father if I didn't let him... let him... "

Matthews winced and shuddered. Buffy was doing such a good job of recalling that day that it was almost as if he was there. Bile rose to his throat. He swallowed it back hard and shook himself in a bid to get the pictures from settling in his mind.

Buffy's eyes filled with fresh tears and she shook her head. " Angel touched me and I could see that he was ready to.. to rape me. I screamed as he forced his way into me and brought my legs up to force him father couldn't take it any longer and he rushed at Angel, bowling him over .He landed beside him and knelt up, swinging a punch at Angels face. As the momentum carried him over Angels body, a shot rang out. My mum and I screamed as my father fell to the side, clutching his chest. Blood soaked his shirt and pooled under him. His eyes were so strange. He stared at my mum. I ran to my mothers side and tried to get her up from the pushed my father with the toe of his boot before turning his attention to us.

He pointed to my dad and said that he had a problem said that my father had used his girls and never paid, he took his drugs and never paid, and that he gambled, running up a huge said that he wouldn't be getting that money back, that my father had debt as long as your arm. He asked us what we thought he should do about mum offered him the house but Angel said that it wouldn't cover the debt. He held the gun to my mums head and I panicked. I kicked him in his groin and tried to pull my mum out of the lounge and out of the house but then I heard the gun go off. My mum fell to her knees and told me to go and hide. Angel was getting to his feet, I kissed my mum and ran up the stairs, he shot at me but he missed. I ran into my bedroom and locked the door. I backed away from the door as he shot at told me that he would mark me as his, I hid in a small hole behind a panel in my room and stayed there until I heard the sirens outside my house. "

"Thank you Buffy, we understand that it must be hard for you to do this. Would you like a break? "

Buffy nodded and stood. Matthews paused the tape recording and then stood as well. He gathered up the file and held his arm out for Buffy. Needing the support, Buffy willingly went into his arms and walked out of the interview room like that.

They had taken only a few steps out of the room when she heard the one voice she really didn't want to hear.

"Buffy! "

She looked up at Matthews and patted his chest, giving him the go ahead to let her go. He did, but stood behind her and only three steps back.

" Leave me alone! "

Spike stopped where he stood. " Can't do that love. "

"Why not? It's what I asked you to do. Just before you went to a bar and picked up the first woman you saw. "

He looked as guilty as he was and didn't say anything.

"Was she good? Hmm? Better than me? I god damn hope she was worth it cos we are through. You want to know how I found out? "

He raised a brow.

"I rang you, to ask you to come back, because I do need you, or needed you and she answered your phone. "

"I can explain if you just give me the cha...."

"Explain how you got drunk, felt hurt that I needed to do this alone and so you slept with a woman to get back at me. Am I right? "

"I didn't sleep with her, Buffy . "

" No, you didn't get the chance to, so it was a quick fuck then... Like that makes it a whole lot better! "

Buffy stepped close enough that she could smell the alcohol and the perfume. Her nose creased up at the smell and she coughed. "You stink of her. " She looked closely at him now and saw the smear of bright lipstick on his ear and neck. " You couldn't even take the time to wash the woman's lipstick off. You really are a piece of work. Get away from me. "

Matthews walked towards the couple and took Buffy's elbow. She backed away from Spike shaking her head.

" I loved you, so much. How could you do this to me? " She broke down then, and turned away from him.

Spike called out to her back as she walked back into the interview room, " Buffy , please! "

Buffy sat in a chair facing the window. Her hands held a cold coffee that Matthews had given her two hours ago. The sun was just starting to rise and the sky was now a sapphire blue. She heard the light rap on the door but didn't turn to see who it was. She knew.

"I've just come for my ... things, then I'll go. "

Buffy tilted her head. Spike drew his clothes from the wardrobe and threw them on the bed, then he took out a suitcase and unzipped it.

"How did you do, with the interview yesterday? "

"I don't want to talk about it. " Her voice was emotionless and raspy, as if she had been awake all night holding back the tears.

"I'll just.... " He pointed at the case and she nodded, then went back to watching the sun rise.

Fifteen minutes later Spike zipped the case up and put it at his feet. He was tired, frustrated and angry and determined to have his say. Once he had gotten everything off his chest he would leave.

" You told me to go. It was you that told me you needed space to go through this alone and end up being you again. I left so you could do that. You ended it Buffy, not me. Yes, I went to a bar and had a few drinks, yes I took a woman back to her room and I'll admit that she went down on her knees, but you know what? I couldn't! I closed my eyes and saw you. Saw you stood before me crying, asking me why! I couldn't do it Buffy.... You want to end this , fine. But it won't be because I was at fault here. "

Spike threw the note onto the bed and picked up his suitcase. " Read the note ... See you around. "

With that he was gone. Buffy breathed in and back out loudly and uncurled her stiff and aching legs. The pins and needles set in with their vicious attack by the time she reached the bed. She pulled the envelope to her and read the fine script he had written her name in. Curious and also scared, she hesitated before opening it.

Buffy,

I want you to know that I never intended to hurt you the way I have. I have loved you ever since the day you walked into the recreation room at the home. The day we first made love in the old gym was the day that you saved me. My intention was to save you every day after that. I realize now that you have to save yourself.

Find yourself Buffy, find a way of starting a fresh new life, one that will not be shadowed by your past.

I have handed in my resignation and will be moving once the sale of my house goes through. I'm not sure where I'll go, but I will let some of the partners as Summers Inc you ever need me then you only need to call and I will be there.

Yours. S

She had been a fool and because she had, she had lost the one good thing, the only person in her life that mattered.

Matthews walked into the apartment and tossed his jacket and the file onto the coffee table. It had been an emotional day and now he was back, he would have to deal with the wreck that was his charge. He wasn't insensitive. It was just draining. Hearing everything that Buffy had dealt with before the abduction was bad enough, but tomorrow he would hear most of what had happened after the abduction. He wasn't sure if he would be able to come face to face with O'Connor without putting a bullet in him now.

Buffy entered the room and graced him with a smile. She was wearing a tiny vest top, no bra, he noticed her perky breasts bounce freely , and a tiny pair of shorts. Seeing her like this stirred his libido and then immediately, made him feel shame. How could he get turned on by her after everything he had heard? He shook his head and drew the file towards him, opening it so he would have something else to focus on.

"You want a coffee? I'm doing myself one so it'll be no bother. "

"Sure. " He kept his gaze on the papers in front of him.

Buffy bit her bottom lip. Was she really going to do it? Matthews was good looking, his blue-grey eyes sparkled, his honey blonde hair was that recent style, like bed hair which looked so sexy on was physically pleasing to the eye, his body wasn't bulky with muscle but he was not that wiry type like Spike either. From what she had seen in the mornings, not that she really looked, you couldn't help but notice, he was well endowed. She watched as he concentrated on whatever he was reading while he pulled off his tie and opened the top four buttons on his shirt.

Yummy.

Buffy poured the coffee and walked over to the coffee table, she stood with the table between herself and Matthews and bent over, deliberately giving him a view of her perfect breasts. His mouth opened and then shut quickly, his teeth clamping shut audibly.

"Th... thanks. " his adams apples bobbed in his throat as he stared at god she was coming onto him. "W. Where's the.... ? "

"They had to go and pick up the spares, I think that's what they called them. They said to tell you they'd be back after seven. "

Matthews looked at the clock. He had two hours alone with her. Well, except for the two men stationed outside the apartment and the three downstairs in the lobby. But he was here, sat on the couch that she was now sat on too.

"You know, I don't know a thing about you. If I'm going to be putting my life in your hands, I really should get to know you better. Don't ya think? "

"What do you want to know? "

"Married? "

"No, no girlfriend either. My job doesn't exactly leave me a lot of time. " What the hell had he said that for?

"Age? "

"Thirty two. "

What was she playing at? Sure stress from the trial can affect you in different ways, and take into consideration that Spike had done .....

"Buffy? "

"I know what you're going to say so save it. "

Buffy got up and went to go back into her room, but Matthews caught her hand and held her back.

"It's.. Look, you're a really attractive woman and I would be the first to take a shot at you. But not now. It would complicate things with the case and I could get into a lot of trouble if we did anything. I'm ... "

"How'd know? " She moved closer to him, ran her hands down from his shoulders and under his shirt to touch his bared chest.

Matthews looked down at her and sighed. Her hands felt so good, his cock twitched to let him, and her know just how good. It didn't help matters when she took his hand and placed it on her left breast. He watched as his fingers curled around her small, pert breast and his thumb rolled over the hardened nipple, eliciting a sigh from Buffy. She arched into his hand and started to undo the rest of his shirt buttons, pulling it from his trousers when she reached the last one.

"What about the others, and Spike? "

" The others won't be back for two hours, I told you. As for Spike? He's not in my life now. "

" I can't believe we're going to do this. "

He had surrendered, given in to the temptation that stood in front of him . He leaned down and caught her around the waist with his hands, pulling her to him. His full lips covered hers gently as he took that last step over the precipice and fell.

"Lets go into my room, that way we can lock the door. " Buffy mumbled .

Matthews nodded and walked them towards the double doors.

Spike hung up the phone and tucked his credit card back into his wallet. If he hadn't heard from her by three tomorrow afternoon, then he would go, take the flight and would never step foot on U.S. soil again. He sat back on his couch, drained the beer in his hand and let his tears fall. Where had it all gone wrong?

Matthews broke from the kiss first and spread his fingers across her back, his nails dug into the flesh under them making Buffy hiss.

" How long has it been? "

He frowned as her question broke through to his lust addled brain... " Eight months "

"I'll make it so good for you. "

She already was. Her small hands hand stripped him of his shirt and trousers, had mapped his body twice and were now stroking his cock to perfection.

" Tell me what you like, what you crave, all your wants and fantasies. "

"Just ... "

"Tell me, " she whispered, coaxing him into telling her every little nasty thing he liked.

" Like to be bit and scratched, gently nothing too hard. "

"Anything else? "

Matthews looked down at her and she could read those eyes. Oh he had other kinks, he just didn't know if he should share.

"This is between us. No-one will know except me and you. "

Her hand worked his cock while they talked, making him let out sighs and groans. Her thumb brushed across the head and collected the pre-cum to use as lubricant. He was starting to move with her strokes, thrusting a little as she did.

" I always.. shit... wanted to ... so good... tie a girl up and .... "

"Tell me, " she whispered again

"And be tied up. "

Buffy smiled. As fantasies went, this was one of the most common and one she enjoyed.

"I want to do so much to you, " he hissed. " I heard you and him and got so horny I had to go beat off. Made me wonder what you did to him to make him cry out like that. "

Buffy pushed back the thoughts of Spike and smiled. " I could do it all to you, would you want that? "

Matthews nodded and groaned loudly as Buffy took him into her mouth and swallowed around the head.

No matter how he tried, Spike couldn't sleep. He got up and took a shower and went to raid his fridge. He shut the door to the fridge with his foot, his eyes falling onto the phone, it's light blinking. He put the armful of food onto the counter and hit the play button.

"We heard what happened and we're sorry. We've tried to get hold of you all 's happened and we need you to get back into the apartment and keep an eye on the agents. We spoke to O'Connor earlier and he insinuated that he had someone watching her. We didn't believe him at first but he knew too much. He knew that you had left her. Spike, get there as soon as you get this message, there's a leak in the department and we can't trust anyone here. I'll call you as soon as we know any more. "

"For fuck sake! " He yelled as he grabbed his keys and ran for the front door. When would this all end?

Buffy sat astride Matthews, sweat covered their bodies. Matthews smirked as Buffy ground her hips down on him. He pulled on the restraints, a need to touch her burned in him. What he needed to do was to get her tied to the bed so that he could pound her into the mattress and find his release. She had teased him, kissed and sucked him into a frenzy and now he needed to do the same. Turn about was fair play. Bites and scratches littered their bodies, proof that their coupling had been less than gentle.

" Let me out of these, " Matthews said as he rattled his cuffs. "I think it's your turn sweetling. "

Buffy gripped his cock as she rose and leaned forward to unlock the cuffs. As soon as his wrists were free, Matthews got behind her and forced her face down on the mattress. One hand held her down while the other cuffed her to one side of the bed.

"Now I can take you any way I want. "He told her as he thrust into her wet core while she knelt and put his weight on her back, making her fall to the mattress. His large hand wrapped around her neck and held her down. Panic set in and Buffy tried to push herself back up. All it did was force him inside her harder, making her cry out. Matthews leaned over her back and bit into her shoulder hard, marking her and drawing blood. Buffy screamed and twisted under him, trying to dislodge him.

"He told me how good you were but I thought he exaggerated. He taught you well, I'll say that for him. Too bad I have to do this. "

His hand tightened around her throat as he slammed into her hard and fast. His face set into a evil smirk, his eyes crazed with sex and the violence. Buffy tried hard to pull her hands out of the cuffs but they held her firm. Matthews was close, his whole body quivered above her, his hand loosened slightly with every convulsion and he growled out as she felt him fill her. Buffy's eyes widened as her need to breathe became harder and more restricted. His sweat dripped onto her face as he shook his head and laughed at her. Was this really how it would end?

Spike pulled up outside the hotel, his brakes squealing, smoke rising from the hot tyres and ran into the foyer.

"We've been told to let no-one up there..... Hey! You! "

The guards tried to stop him but caught the edge of his jacket as he ran for the stairs. Spike took three at a time and made it to the floor they were on. He swung open the fire door and ran down the corridor.

Buffy's eyes rolled and her whole body had started to tingle as her muscles screamed out for oxygen, her mind was fogging over. It wouldn't be long now.

" You know, I liked you a lot, really I did. " Matthews leaned in and whispered as he laid his cheek against hers, " Angel sends his love. " And then he kissed her.

Spike kicked the door and splintered the cede. It stood solid against his assault though. He pulled out his gun and shot at the lock, breaking it and then kicked it open. He pushed it aside as he walked into the apartment and stormed towards the bedroom. This time he shot at the lock first and rushed in.

He froze, a pause as he took in what was happening. Matthews turned to look over his shoulder and smiled.

"Well, well, well.... loverboy returns. "

Spike looked past him and saw Buffy, now surrounded by the sheets that she had desperately clawed at, her eyes open and glassy. He moved fast, so fast that Matthews hardly saw him coming. Spike punched him in the jaw, sending him to the floor and then trained the gun on him. With his free hand, Spike called 911.

"Give me one good reason not to shoot you right the hell now? " he growled.

Matthews wiped the blood from his nose and lip and laughed. Behind Spike stood four agents that had their guns trained on him, all calling for him to drop his weapon. One agent had gone to the bed and was now trying to revive Buffy. Spike watched and held the gun out for an agent to take then once he was unarmed, put his hands on his head and dropped to his knees.

Matthews got up, still naked and punched Spike, " When are you going to learn, hmm? She, is his. As long as Angel breathes, she breathes, she . will . be . his . "


	20. Chapter 20

A/N:- Wohoo!! I managed to update at last!!! Thank you soooo much for the fantastic reviews! I have such fab readers!

Warning.... Bit of angst ahead, but I promise to get back to the Spuffyness asap :)

Chapter Twenty.

It all seemed to happen so fast. Spike was pulled up from his knees and cuffed, Buffy moaned, her breathing sounded more like wheezing and the special task unit burst into the room. The agents that were already there and holding Spike were now disarmed and stood watching as the new unit advanced on Matthews. Outside, the sound of ambulance sirens echoed off buildings as they made their way through the traffic.

Buffy rolled onto her side and started coughing. Her hand held her neck gently as if to support it. Her eyes watered profusely from the effort being exerted on her throat and lungs as she tried to breathe. Her head pounded to the beat of her racing pulse, letting her know that she was alive. Her eyes rolled as she turned onto her back again, dizzy and disoriented.

Paramedics rushed in, pulling a gurney behind them and went to the bed to take care of her, completely ignoring the rest of the room. They took no notice of Spike still cuffed in the corner of the room or the armed unit that had their guns aimed at the tall, naked man.

Matthews went to his knees, his hands cuffed and on his head, reminiscent of Spikes pose just minutes ago. He smirked, then looked up at Spike again. "It will not stop.... He will never stop. This whole thing is bigger than you can imagine. I'll get eight years for this, but I will come out a wealthy man. He managed to sway me over to his side, how many more will do the same? "

Spikes jaw tensed and you could hear him grinding his teeth. Spike looked up at the agent closest to Matthews and got his silent question answered. Spike approached Matthews and bent from the waist so he was eye to eye with the man.

"I don't care how many he sends after her, after us, mate. I'll be there. " He leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. " How can he send people after us if he's dead? You said it yourself, as long as he breathes he'll never give her up. " Spike pulled back from Matthews, a cocky grin on his face. " Still think it was worth it? Sure you'll be a rich man when you're released? "

Matthews sneered at Spike as an agent pulled him to his feet while another threw a hospital robe around him and tied it behind his back. He was then lead from the room and downstairs to a waiting car. From there he was taken into custody.

An agent uncuffed Spike and he immediately went to the gurneys side. Buffy looked up and silent tears ran down her cheeks. She tried to say something but couldn't, her throat too sore to talk.

Spike swept her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. "Don't try to talk, pet. I'm coming with you. Never leaving you again. " He held her hand as they walked to the elevator and out to the ambulance.

The morning after Matthews attempt on her life had been the hardest. She woke in hospital to see Spike sat in the most uncomfortable chair, his eyes fixed on her.

He cleared his throat, his leg bounced as it always did when he was tense, and he rubbed his sweaty palms down his pant legs. " Don't say anything love, just listen. "

Buffy frowned and nodded.

"I know what happened before I got there , he told me everything. I even had to watch it on a video he had made to send to Angel. "

Buffy winced and a sob broke from her .

"I won't pretend I'm not hurt by it, cos that'll be a lie. It hurt so fucking much. " He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and huffed out the breath he held. " I know you did it so you could hurt me the way I hurt you. You did. I'm not sure where we go from here but I'm not about to leave you because of this. Seeing you laying there on that bed... I thought you were.... " his voice broke and he sniffed, holding back the tears. " I thought he had killed you and that pain was greater than any other. I think, once this whole thing with Angel is over we need to seek help... To deal with it, get over it, I'm not sure .... I love you, more than life itself. Whoever said love was easy, lied. It isn't. Love hurts. "

Buffy could only watch as he got up, tears running down his cheeks and left the room. Buffy fell back to the pillows and looked out of the window at the bright sun and cried.

Spike arrived at his office in a foul mood. When he saw a detective heading his way, he blew air over his lips in annoyance. He was not in the right frame of mind to be dealing with him. Hoping that he would leave him alone, Spike went into his office and slammed the door, hard.

He wasn't that lucky.

"We need to talk. "

"Sure we do, take a seat. " Spike answered flatly. He sank into his chair and waited.

"Buffy's safe. " Spike stared angrily. "Good. We've come to a decision and have decided that we're taking you off the case. As of today, you're on leave. " Spike went to argue the decision but his upheld hand stopped him. "Buffy will be moved to a safe house until after the trial and she'll have guards with her constantly. I realize that you will be in danger as well, so we have arranged for you to go with her. But. " He paused and groaned. " You so much as cause one problem, interfere or upset one of my men and you'll be hauled out of there and we won't let you see her. Got it? "

Spike wasn't particularly happy, after the warning that Matthews had given him, but how could he argue? As long as he was with Buffy, he could keep her safe. "All right, so when do we go? "

The agent smiled, knowing that Spike was at last engaging his brain before he spoke or acted. "We'll move you both into the safe house as soon as Buffy is well enough to be released from the hospital. "

Spike looked at the F.B.I. agent, he knew what he was doing. Again, someone was bending the rules and using the tiniest of loop holes they could to make sure that he was with his girl.

"Thank you, mate. Appreciate what you're doing. " Spike shook his hand and watched him leave. He sunk into his chair again and smiled. He had to go and check on Buffy, see her and tell her what was going to happen.

She felt numb. Like she was anaesthetized. Her body ached from the attack, true, but it felt disconnected. Like the pain was muted. After years of systematic abuse at the hands of Angel. She was physically, mentally and emotionally drained to the point where Buffy wondered if she would ever feel again.

Watching Spike leave the hospital room had been like a stake to her heart. She heard him say that he wouldn't leave her and yet, he had left when she needed him. It had driven the final nail in the coffin for her at that point. Buffy had laid in her bed, staring at the window, oblivious to anything and everything that carried on around her.

"She's shutting down. " The resident psychologist said over his shoulder.

Spike looked up, a frown creased his brow, "What do you mean, shutting down? "

"Buffy has suffered years of torment, physically, emotionally, mentally. She lived with the man that killed her parents, raped her, used her as a toy and as a whore. She still had the strength to gather enough information to put this man away for a long time, she had hope. Then she found you, after thinking that you had been killed by the man that had tried to destroy her. Now you have told her that you'll be there for her, but you aren't. You walked away from her, left her when she needs you the most. I understand what happened between you two is hard to cope with, but that woman is still going through it and will go through it until the monster that hurt her is out of her life. For good. She is free from the man and the lifestyle he imposed on her, but she is still his prisoner. He made an attempt on her life. Hired another man to seduce and kill her. She needs someone, you, to free her. You have been the only person that she has let in, that she trusted. I don't know what happened but you broke that trust. That is why she is shutting down. She has lost hope, lost any trust that she had. "

"I hurt the girl. "

"And now you have to show her that you won't. Show her that she can trust you. Be there for her. It won't be easy. "

"Since when has my life been easy? "

The psychologist snorted. "Its been a walk in the park when you compare it to what Buffy has been through. You have a good job, security, a nice house, friends. What has she got? She has nothing! A long list of men that have used her in one way or another! "

"She has me! " Spike growled, his temper flaring up at the reminder of what Buffy had been through.

The psychologist slammed his fist onto his desk, making the items on it rattle. "Then for gods sake, prove to her that she has, because right now, she doesn't think she has! "

Tears were falling unchecked from Spikes eyes. He knew that the man in front of him was speaking the truth. Buffy was closing herself off and his one mistake, had been the straw that broke the camels back. He had given her the last push over into the abyss that she was now lost in.

He stood abruptly and left the office without saying a word. He had to get to his girl. He had to fix her. He had to prove to his girl that she could trust him, that he loved her and nothing would change that. Buffy needed him to save her.

The nurse watched as Spike opened the door to Buffy's room and blew air over his lips. He shook the tension from his body and walked in quietly, closing the door gently so he didn't disturb her.

Buffy was still staring out of the window as she had been for hours. Spike swallowed hard, his throat felt tight and his mouth had suddenly dried . His hand ran through his hair, a nervous habit of his.

He tried to speak, but his dry mouth and constricted throat made it hard. "Bu-ffy? Pet? " He cleared his throat and coughed. "Sweetheart? "

She ignored him, he wasn't sure if she even registered that he was there. He went to the chair and pulled it against the bed, to sit beside her, with her facing him. Spike reached out and took the hand that lay lax on her hip above the covers. It was relaxed and didn't grip his hand. It hurt that she was so cut off from him and his eyes welled with tears.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry, love. I... "

He sniffed, his breath hitching in his throat. He let the tears fall and buried his head against her and cried. All the pain, all the stress of now and of the past caught up with him and he wept.

Her hand moved, shakily she took her hand from his and stroked his face, then she rested it on his head as if to hold him to her. Buffy didn't speak, didn't meet his gaze. It was a connection though, one that made his heart miss a beat. He stayed there, all night, talking to her gently, reassuring her, telling her how much he loved her, worshipped and adored her and that he would never leave her again. They both fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, her hand cradling his head to her chest and that was how the nurse found them when she went in to check up on Buffy. She smiled and backed out of the room, leaving them to sleep and to hopefully reconnect.

Word reached Angel that Matthews had failed. He punched the walls of his cell and hurled obscenities into the air. Had his cells cot not been bolted down, he would have thrown it against the doors, the walls and ceiling as well. The bitch had survived and the feds had a better case against him now that they had Matthews.

Matthews arrived at the station and had been processed quickly. He had said nothing since he had been arrested, knowing the system and procedures. He held out hope that word would reach Angel and that O'Connor would hire him a lawyer that would get the charges against him dropped. Dressed in only the hospital gown that had been loosely secured around his nude body, he was thrust into a cell. His eyes widened when he realized that his cell mates were all criminals that he had put there.

Buffy was the first to wake. Her hand flexed in Spikes hair, then stroked through his now ruffled from sleep, soft curls and tufts. She snatched her hand back when she realized what she was doing. She stifled her yawn and stretched. Spike, roused from her stretching, nuzzled into her chest and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into him. Buffy froze and stiffened. Her eyes stared hard at the top of his head as Spike stirred and looked up at her.

"Morning, " his voice was quiet, as if not wanting to spook her.

"What are you doing here? " Buffy asked, her tone was even.

Spike sat up, wishing he hadn't as his back protested by aching. Spike stretched and scratched his chest, hoping to alleviate some of his back pain. " I came to check up on you. " he winced at his words. " I ... uh... came to see you so we could talk. Maybe. I want to prove to you that I am here for you. That I meant what I said. I want you to trust me again. "

She wanted to believe him, really. But everything was hard, so hard for her at that moment. Her emotions were a pit of negatives and her thoughts were scattered as if a tornado had whirled through her mind. She knew that they had both done things.... That they had both attempted to sleep with other people to hit back at each other out of pain and spite that neither of them really felt towards the other.

Okay, maybe she had done it because he had tried to sleep with someone first, which when she thought about it, was rather childish. Plus she had pushed him away, so part of the blame laid with her anyway. She sighed loudly and pushed herself up so that she was now sitting up on the bed.

" I want to, too. I just, I can't think straight right now and you, with the being here, kind of not helping. "

"I don't want to leave you. "

They both sighed. Buffy watched as he toyed with the edge of the sheet. " Can you just give me a little time? I want you here but I kind of can't deal with the emotional stuff. It's too hard right now. "

"So we see each other, we talk but we keep the relationship low key? "

She nodded.

He hurt and Spike felt as though it really was the beginning of the end. Holding back the emotions that threatened to drown him, he made his excuses and went to get a coffee. He only hoped that Buffy would change her mind and that he could convince her to trust him again. Staying with her in the safe house was going to be torture.


End file.
